


More Than Just Surviving

by pricefield_fan



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Angst, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Horror, Mutual Pining, Romance, Slow Burn, Survival, relationships built on trust
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2019-07-14 11:28:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16039571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pricefield_fan/pseuds/pricefield_fan
Summary: Mia wakes up at the Baker home with no memory of how she got there or why. Trapped in this nightmare house, Zoe is the only other person she can trust, and together they find solace in each other as they struggle to survive the three horrific years at the Baker residence.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So basically this story is going to be a series of one-shots that take place over the three year period at the Baker residence. This will be a slow burn romance between Mia and Zoe, their struggle for survival, and how they come to rely on each other. There will definitely be build-up/angst with eventual smut. The rating may change later for future chapters.

Darkness, fear, pain, and loneliness. That was all that existed in Mia's world . Sometimes the pain would be so overbearing that she didn't know if she could possibly take it anymore.

But the only thing she could do was just... feel it.

This was her life now. She wondered if she was in hell.

But wasn't hell supposed to be bright with burning flames? No, this couldn't be hell. It was like she had fallen into oblivion. An infinite oblivion where there was no light, no air, no happiness. No anything. 

Mia woke in a cold sweat. A blinding light made her head throb as she struggled to focus her vision. Her throat was so dry that she could barely catch her breath. She winced in pain as she tried to turn herself on her side. A sharp pain in her lower ribs brought her collapsing back back down onto her back.

After the room stopped spinning and her vision slowly started returning to normal, Mia pushed herself to sit up successfully this time and immediately froze in panic, but it wasn't because of the awful pain in her side. She was looking directly into the barrel of a shotgun. And beyond the shotgun was an unfamiliar young woman who couldn't be older than twenty-one or twenty-two. The girl's sharp eyes were narrowed in suspicion as she kept her finger on the trigger.

"Where-" Mia cleared her throat, struggling to find her voice. "Where...the hell... am I?"

She took a moment to look around at her surroundings. She found herself in a dimly lit room, cluttered with with clothes thrown haphazardly across the small bed in one corner of the room. The other corner looked to be a kitchenette. There were a few small appliances (fridge, stove and sink) with a dining table that was covered with papers and boxes of who-knows-what. It appeared that she had woken up in a tiny mobile home that had perhaps belonged to a college who lacked cleanliness. She was laying on an old mattress that was pulled into the middle of the cramped room.

"Huh..." said the young woman thoughtfully. "'Bout time you woke up. Didn't know if you was gonna make it." She had a slight southern drawl, not too overbearing.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Mia demanded.

"Suppose you don't remember. I'm Zoe, the one that's been taking care of your ass since you arrived."

Zoe gave a soft smile which made her seem much less intimating, but it still didn't quite lower Mia's guard.

"Arrived where?" Mia asked, not bothering to try and hide the suspicion in her tone.

"My family's farm. We're in my trailer just outside the house."

"And where is that exactly?"

"Dulvey, Louisiana."

Well, she wasn't expecting that. She took a deep breath and slowly tried to stand up, but winced in pain again as she did so, her ribs aching as if they had been recently used as a punching bag.

"Take it easy. You've been through a lot," said Zoe softly. "There was a crash on a ship not too far from here. There was a bad storm. My daddy saved you and brought you back here. You've got some pretty bad bruising on your side."

Mia sighed, and settled herself back down. It felt awkward speaking to Zoe from the floor.

"A ship crash?"

"Yes."

"How long have I been here?"

"Four days."

Mia stared open-mouthed at this strange girl, trying to take everything in. Was she really out of it for four whole days? No wonder she felt so weak and light-headed. But even more frightening, she had no memory of arriving here or why. And she definitely didn't remember a ship crash.

"I was really passed out for four days?" Mia asked.

"Well you came to a few times, but you didn't stay awake for more than about ten minutes each time, and you didn't say anythin'... Looked like a zombie... Stayed awake only long enough for me to get some food and water in ya before you were out cold again. You're welcome by the way."

Mia didn't really know what to say. This whole situation was so bizarre she wondered if she was still in her nightmare. She tried racking her brain for a scrap of a memory about how she arrived here or what she was doing leading up to getting here, but there was nothing. The last thing she remembered was seeing her husband Ethan and telling him she would be away for a while for work.

"Could you please lower that thing?" Mia finally asked, eyeing the shotgun that was still pointed directly at her. "I don't feel comfortable thanking you if you're going to blow my head off any minute."

Zoe shrugged and lowered the gun. "Relax, it's broken anyway. Just wanted to scare ya a little."

"As if I'm not already scared enough," Mia muttered.

"Sorry, I didn't know if I could trust ya... You were with that little girl after all. I couldn't take a chance if you were... like her."

"Little girl? What little girl?"

"Eveline is her name. Evie. Somethin' ain't right about her." Zoe spoke quietly and looked around nervously, as if she shouldn't be telling Mia this.

"I arrived with her? I don't remember that... I don't remember anything."

Zoe stared at her suspiciously. Mia sensed that Zoe didn't fully trust her.

"Evie kept calling you 'Mommy'. You're not her mother then?"

"What? No of course not. I don't have any kids."

"I didn't really believe her, but you two do look a lot alike..."

Mia didn't know how to answer. It was strange being compared to a child that she couldn't remember, let alone one who was claiming to be her daughter. God, this was such a fucked up situation to be put in. Why the hell couldn't she remember anything? She felt at any minute she might just break down and start crying, and she really didn't care if Zoe witnessed it.

"So what's your name, anyway?" asked Zoe.

"Mia," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "My name is Mia Winters."

"Mia Winters," Zoe repeated.

"I have a husband, Ethan, he'll be wondering where I am."

Something flashed behind Zoe's eyes that almost looked like disappointment, but only for a brief moment and then it was gone.

"I appreciate your help, Zoe," Mia said. "I really do, but I need to get back home."

"It might not be that simple," Zoe said, shaking her head and frowning.

"What do you mean?"

Zoe crouched down, so that they were now face to face and whispered, "Some weird shit's been going down... Mama and Daddy... Evie did somethin' to 'em. I know it sounds crazy, but it's like she possessed 'em. They're under her complete control. Doin' things... horrible things."

Mia didn't really get a chance to notice just how pale Zoe's face was, but now that they were face to face and Zoe was no longer staring her down from behind the barrel of a gun, Mia noticed every detail. Her tousled hair was short and dark. In a weird sort of way it worked nicely with her gaunt cheekbones. Her eyes were slightly puffy and red, as if she had been crying not too long ago and her hands were visibly shaking. Zoe was genuinely terrified, Mia realized. 

Once again, Mia was at a loss for words. A possession? Did this girl seriously expect her to believe that?

Zoe claimed to be taking care of Mia, but was there any way to prove that? For all Mia knew, Zoe could have kidnapped her and stowed her away in here.

No, Mia didn't really believe that. Despite the girl's unkempt appearance and the shotgun she still had gripped in her hands, there was also something inexplicable about her that seemed trustworthy. 

"Mia," Zoe said, placing a gentle hand on Mia's shoulder. "I think we can both help each other, but-" A loud slam from outside suddenly cut through Zoe's words, causing the two women to jump.

"Shit." Zoe stood up suddenly, hurrying over to one of the windows and peeked out of the curtain. "Lucas," she muttered and then walked across the room to the dingy bed in the corner of the room. She hid the shotgun underneath the mattress.

Before Mia even had a chance to ask who Lucas was, the door to the small trailer was being thrown up. A tall man in a hoodie stepped inside.

"What're you doin' with Mommy, Zoe?" he asked, facing Zoe so that Mia couldn't see his face.

Mommy?

"Stop callin' her that." Zoe spat. "You sound like a pervert."

"You know Evie wants you to stay away from her while she's being... punished. Evie says she needs a time out. She's been a bad... mommy."

What the fuck? 

The man finally turned to look at Mia. He appeared to be maybe a few years older than Zoe, and with the same gaunt facial features, Mia guessed that this was probably Zoe's brother.

"Lucas," Zoe said firmly. "I'm just trying to help this woman like Mamma and Daddy wanted. That's what the Baker's have always been about. Helpin' those who need it. Come on Lucas, this woman needs our help."

Lucas didn't seemed phased by Zoe's pleading. 

"Don't be difficult now, Zoe." He laughed manically. "You've always been the difficult one. It's time you learn your place and Accept. Her. Gift."

He turned Mia again, throwing her a dark look and muttering "Accept her gift. Accept her gift. Accept her gift." 

What the hell was wrong with this guy?

She was definitely still in her nightmare right now. She had to be.

Lucas was coming at her now, but Mia was too weak to move. It happened quickly. 

Suddenly, the world had gone black and a sharp pain was spreading throughout her temple. 

The last thing Mia was aware was Zoe's screams, which faded away with her consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really appreciate any comments, kudos, or feedback :) Thanks for reading


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoe's POV. Zoe has an encounter with her new family.

In Zoe's perfect world she was with her family. 

It was another Baker family dinner/movie night. She had just finished writing a paper for one of her online classes, her second year already running along pretty smoothly. At this rate, maybe she could finally transfer to that university in New Orleans she had always wanted to attend. 

A gentle autumn rain covered the grounds in a fine mist as Zoe exited her trailer and headed for the main house. Autumn was Zoe's favorite season. Usually November was when autumn arrived in Louisiana, but it looked like this year it had decided to a little come early.

Zoe was immediately greeted with the familiar scent of Mama's pot roast as she opened the front door. Dinner and movie nights like these made her feel like a little kid again.

Daddy was seated at the dining room table, flipping casually through a copy of the Dulvey Daily. It was an odd habit of his to read the paper before dinner instead of during breakfast, but he claimed it was good to enjoy the morning without having to read about some tragic event or another. So he saved it for the evening.

"It's good to stay informed, but don't let it ruin your whole day." He would always say.

Mama was in the kitchen peeling potatoes. Lucas was no where in sight, and that was just fine with her. She took a seat at the table across from Daddy. 

There were so many memories in this kitchen. Her Mama teaching her how to bake. Daddy showing her how to properly sear a chicken. Her and Lucas coloring at the table as kids, fighting over who had better artistic skills. Zoe's fourth grade art project still hung on the wall beside the table. 

"Finish up that paper, Zo?" Daddy asked without looking up from the paper.

"Yep," replied Zoe. Now that the stress of writing the paper was over, Zoe could truly relax and just enjoy family night.

"Good girl."

"Zoe, why don't you come over and give me a hand with these potatoes?" asked Mama from the kitchen.

"Alright," said Zoe.

But before she could get up, Daddy, unexpectedly, from behind the paper said, "I think it's time you meet your little sister." 

Silence.

"Wh-what?" stuttered Zoe. A sudden coldness shot through her whole body.

"You need to listen to me when I'm talking to you girl," he said more sternly, finally setting down his newspaper. "I said it's time you meet your little sister." And then he leaned across the table and smacked her hard across the face.

//

The harsh sting across her cheek jolted her back to the real world. The memory was gone, and once again the panic had begun to set in. 

Her real daddy when never lay a hand on her. But this wasn't her daddy anymore. This was someone else. And this man most definitely would lay a hand on her.

In this new world Zoe never expected to be tied down to a dining room chair, sitting opposite her family. She struggled against the rope binding her to the chair, but it was too tight. The rope crushed her stomach, sides, and wrists, definitely cutting off circulation and choking the air out of her. All eyes were on her. Her mother, father, and brother staring her down. It made her feel small. It made her feel like a criminal in one of those interrogation scenes in a movie. 

She was a prisoner.

This can't be real. This can't be real. This can't be real.

"This is fucked," Zoe muttered to herself. "This is so fucked up."

"Now, Zoe, can't we just have a nice family dinner without you acting up?" her mother asked calmly. "It's a special occasion. It's time you're properly introduced to the newest and most special member of the Baker family."

Not this. Not her.

"Mama please untie me..." Zoe said shakily. She jerked her body forward and tried with all her might to pull her wrists free. She was on the verge of tears, but she wouldn't let herself cry in front of them again. She knew better. 

She tried to steady her breathing, but it was hard with the rope cutting into her.

"Ungrateful little bitch," Lucas shouted. 

It wasn't the first time Lucas had insulted her like that.

"What did you do to that woman, Lucas?" Zoe asked. "Where is she?" 

An evil grin suddenly spread across Lucas's face. He said, "If I didn' know any better, I'd say you was a little too interested in that woman, Zo." 

Zoe stared back, biting the inside of her cheek. Hard.

"You've been spending a lot of time in that trailer. What have you been doing in there?" Lucas asked.

It strung more than Daddy slapping her across the face. Zoe felt her cheeks burn, anger bursting inside of her. For a few moments she was unable to speak. Then, "How dare you!" She kicked her leg under the table and felt her foot collide with Lucas's shin. "You fucking shit. I'm not a pervert like you!"

"Now, now," her father said, holding Lucas back, who was now trying to launch himself across the table at Zoe. "Language at the table, Zoe. You know better."

"You think you can trust this Mia woman, don't you?" her mother asked. "That's right, she's been giving you the ol' amnesia act, ain't she? You don't even know her. Why would you think you could trust her over us, your family?"

Because she's not fucked up in the head like you three, Zoe thought.

She said nothing.

"Mia brought Eveline to us," her father said. "To accept her gift.

Dear god, if she heard the phrase "accept her gift" one more fucking time...

"She doesn't know Evie," said Zoe, getting annoyed now. "Said so herself... Y'all have just been brainwashed."

"Eveline has opened our eyes," her mother said dreamily. "She has blessed us with her gift. She wants to share it with you. Don't you want to be a good big sister and accept the gift that's she offerin'?"

"And what reason do you even have to believe this woman?" her father asked.

Zoe ignored him. "Where is Mia? What did y'all do to her?"

"Aw, ain't that sweet how much you care," Lucas said with a smirk. He was taunting her. "Well, don't you worry, she's just safe and sound right now. Cozy as a bug in a rug in her little room. And you won't be seein' her no more during her punishment."

"Don't you want to meet your little sister, Zoe?" her mother asked her again.

Zoe wanted to scream, but she didn't think she had it in her. Instead she asked again, "Would you please just untie me?" 

Jack pounded his fist on the table. "Zoe, answer your Mama when she asks you a question! I will not tolerate your rudeness."

"No," Zoe said quietly. "I don't want to meet her. Please just untie me... Please."

She knew it was useless to plead like this. They were too far gone already, but she didn't know what else there was to do. Nothing she would say would convince them to free her.

"Now come on, Zoe." said Lucas. "I was unwilling at first just like you, so Daddy had to beat some sense into me. You don't want that, do ya?"

Suddenly, the lights cut out, sparing Zoe the trouble of having to respond to a question like that.

"She's here." Zoe heard Lucas say. 

She couldn't see a damn thing.

But she could feel something. A presence. She felt chills run through her body like she was being dipped into a vat of icy water. The room grew colder. She couldn't see, but she knew that there was something right next to her. A darkness. A darkness that was fighting to get inside her head, prodding the edges of her mind, trying to claw it's way in.

She was so close to giving up. To just let it take over. 

No, she wouldn't let it.

Her grasp on reality was starting to slip, but she willed herself to focus. To fight it.

"Hello, sister."

//

Hours later, after waking up alone on the dining room floor and vomiting up black sludge until she was wishing for death, Zoe somehow manged to pull herself to her feet. Someone had untied her from the chair, the rope left in a pile on the floor. Her wrists were sore and purple, but at least she could breathe normally again. 

Vomiting for nearly two hours left her extremely fatigued. She had already witnessed her parents and Lucas vomiting this stuff up a few days ago. So whatever illness they were infected with, she was now too. She didn't really want to spend too much time analyzing the black sludge, but whatever the substance was, it looked similar to mold, and she could have sworn that she had seen it pulsating, like it had it's own heartbeat.

Evie wasn't able to get inside of her head, at least for now. So maybe there was still hope that she wouldn't wind up enslaved to this demon child like the rest of her family.

Her family... there probably wasn't much hope for them anymore. Not unless Evie was eliminated. 

She would find Mia. They would figure something out. And together they would get the hell out of this godforsaken nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter should be out sooner than it took for me to get this one out since I started writing that one before this one, but I wanted to include this chapter to show both Mia and Zoe's struggle to survive, as well as Zoe's deteriorating relationship with her family. Next chapter will be Zoe and Mia's reunion. There will be some light moments in the darkness for these two... eventually. :)
> 
> I appreciate any feedback or kudos :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zoe finds Mia again.

Time meant nothing to Mia anymore. There was no night and no day. No way to keep track of the time spent rotting away in this fucking cell. There were no windows in the room, only a single light bulb hanging from the middle of the ceiling. The walls were covered in what looked like old cushioning. The most humiliating part of this room was the bucket in the corner, and next to it, the couples rolls of toilet paper. The only way out was through a jail cell door that had been locked with chains.

She was a prisoner now, with a seemingly indefinite sentence.

Days probably passed, or maybe even weeks. The only real way she knew that time was passing was because she started to feel more and more ill, and her body more and more weak. She was running a fever that was gradually getting worse. Her whole body ached, and sometimes she would be struck with violent bouts of nausea. She had never felt so horrible in her life.

Mostly she slept a lot, or at least tried to. There was nothing else to do, but the night terrors would often startle her awake, leaving her breathless and with her heart pounding in her ears. They felt so real. She could have sworn the little girl with in the room with her, waiting, watching, like a vulture circling it's prey.

The only thing that kept her going was the knowledge that Ethan was probably looking for her. He must be, right? She did lie to him though, telling him she would be away on some babysitting job.

And what a job that turned out to be...

_He probably doesn't even realize you're missing_ , said a small voice in the back of her head, but she pushed it aside. She couldn't afford to think like that if she wanted to survive this nightmare. She had to believe that Ethan would have been smart enough to have seen through her lie. He always did have a way of knowing what she was thinking even if she never said a word. He would know that something was wrong. He would call the police and someone would come for her soon.

//

Mia was being watched. She could feel it. There was a dark shadow, lingering in the corner of the room, waiting for her to let her guard down. It was moving, slowly, coming closer. Terror flooded her body, paralyzing her.

She felt warm hands gripping her shoulders, startling her awake.

"Stop!" Mia yelled, thrashing her arms wildly. "Get away from me."

"Mia." A familiar voice. The warm hands pressed harder. "Shhhh, calm down. It's me. I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Zoe?" Mia gasped, opening her eyes, watching as the dark shadow faded around the edges, morphing slowly into Zoe.

"Yeah, it's me," Zoe said reassuringly. "It's okay. You're alright." Her thumbs were rubbing small circles against Mia's shoulders.

Mia had never been so glad to hear that soft, southern accent in her life. It was amazing how quickly the flight-or-fight instincts vanished, lifting a huge weight off of her chest, only to be replaced by relief. She wasn't alone anymore.

"How did you get in here?" Mia asked.

She never saw anyone enter the room, but somehow a plate of food always wound up on the floor next to the door. Sometimes it was toast or a sandwich, sometimes it was a bowl of soup. Usually it wasn't very appetizing, but this wasn't really the time to be picky. She never once saw the chained door open.

Zoe pointed to a pair of bolt cutters on the floor by the door. "I've been tryin' to get to you for a week now," she said. "But they're always patrollin' the house."

Mia wasted no time. "I saw her," she said exasperatedly. "I saw the little girl. She was in here with me, trying to get in my head."

Zoe looked around the room nervously. "She's not here right now. I saw her not too long ago out by the barn."

"Have you found us a way out?"

"Not exactly..." She trailer off, running her hand softly over Mia's forehead, brushing the hair out of her face. She frowned. "Shit... you're runnin' a fever."

"I'm cold," Mia said. Someone had changed her clothes in the time she had been down in this cell. She now wore a sleeveless blouse and jeans that were definitely not her own. If it wasn't Zoe who had changed her clothes, Mia shuddered to think who did.

Zoe nodded and turned away from her to grab the pile of clothes she had set at the end of the bed.

"Here," she handed her a sweater and a pair of blue jeans. "I figured you might be cold down here. You look about my size. These should fit."

Mia took the sweater and jeans gratefully. The clothes she was currently wearing were sticky with sweat and starting to smell. The new clothes were a start, but what she really needed was a nice, long shower.

"Thank you," Mia said, and she slid the sleeveless blouse over her head, happy to be rid of it.

"Uh, right," Zoe said awkwardly as Mia started quickly unbuttoning her pants. She stood up suddenly. "I'll let you change then." She headed for the cell door.

"Wait!" Mia said.

Zoe stopped and turned around, but she didn't make direct eye contact. She suddenly seemed fascinated with the cement floor.

"Um," Mia said, realizing she had probably sounded a little ridiculous, standing here in her bra and underwear, calling for Zoe to come back. "I'd feel safer if you stay here. I don't want to be left alone."

"Okay," Zoe said softly. "I'll just, uh..." She turned away to face the wall, her cheeks turning red.

Mia chuckled at the girl's response. Modesty was the last thing Mia was worried about at the moment, but she too turned around to face the opposite wall before she pulled the sweater over her head. It was soft and smelled like fabric softener and lavender. The scent was almost enough to make things feel normal again. She was pleased to find that both the sweater and jeans fit her perfectly.

"Okay, I'm decent."

Zoe turned around to face her again, arms folded across her chest and still blushing. Mia had to admit, Zoe's sudden shyness was a little endearing. And to think it was the same girl who had recently aimed a shotgun at her...

"Everything fit okay?" Zoe asked.

Mia nodded. "Thank you."

There was an awkward silence that filled the room as the two just stood facing each other, neither knowing what to say next. The reality of the situation was finally sinking in. What the hell were they going to do?

Zoe broke the silence. "So, I found your letter."

"What?"

Zoe pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to her.

"I found this in my trailer under one of my storage boxes. I don't know when the hell you had time to write this, but..."

Mia unfolded the letter with shaky hands.

_'To the Baker Family,_

_Thank you for saving my life. But please forget all about me._

_I was assigned to transport some important cargo on that ship. Getting involved with me, or that cargo, can only cause trouble for your family. Big trouble._

_Please don't contact the police or state authorities. Just pretend we never met._

_And... you saved me, so take this advice in return. If you see a girl near the ship who looks about ten years old, DO NOT approach her._

_If she talks to you, get away as quickly as you can. Just try not to make her angry in the process. If you've been feeling ill at all, then I'm afraid the worst may already have happened._

_It's a fate worse than death, and it can't be cured at a hospital. I'm so sorry._

_There is a way to stop it, though. Serum. If you inje stop the symp'_

It was a lot to take in. There were a few words that stood out to her. Cargo. Trouble. Ill. Death. Serum.

This couldn't possibly be real... but it _was_ her handwriting.

"It looks like there's no way to escape this," Zoe confirmed. "Unless we can find this serum."

It took Mia a moment to even be able to form words. "I don't... I don't understand." Her worst fears had just been confirmed. She was involved in this, and not in the way that she wanted to be. Of course it was probably silly to believe that she was just an innocent bystander that happened to simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but still, it didn't soften the blow of learning the truth.

She was assigned to transport important cargo. Was that cargo supposed to be Eveline? Her mind was racing in all different directions, desperate to grasp onto some sort of explanation for this. Unfortunately, it was all still a blank slate.

"Mia, you said yourself in that note. 'If you start to feel ill, it's already too late.' We're both infected. My family's infected. It looks like our only way out of here is to get our hands on that serum you mentioned."

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember writing this. I don't know anything about a serum."

"But there is a way to reverse this." Zoe didn't hide the desperation in her voice. "There has to be... You really don't remember anything?" Zoe asked.

"I wish I did." Mia looked down, unable to meet Zoe's pleading eyes. She suddenly felt ashamed to be standing here wearing Zoe's clothes that Zoe had generously given to her, when she was the reason they were in this fucked up mess.

"Short term memory loss... it comes back after a while, doesn't it?" Zoe asked.

"Sometimes... but sometimes it doesn't." Mia sighed in frustration. "I don't really know. I've never experienced anything like this before."

"I still trust you, Mia," Zoe said decisively and Mia looked up again, stunned at Zoe's words. "You and I's the only sane ones left around here. And you know... knew... something about findin' a cure for this. We'll wait it out. And when you remember we'll cure this. And my family'll be normal again."

Tears stung at Mia's eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. How could Zoe possibly trust her after reading that letter? Mia didn't even trust herself.

A muffled thud above their heads broke the silence.

"We'll talk in my trailer," Zoe said quickly. "It should be safe there for now. I stole some of my daddy's guns and locked em' up in there..." After Zoe saw Mia's skeptical expression, she continued with "Guns that actually work. We can use em'... only if we need to."

Mia felt a pang of sympathy for Zoe. This was her family she was having to fight against. Mia tried to imagine having to potentially fight and kill Ethan if he was in a similar state, but the thought just depressed her. She came to the conclusion that Zoe must be very strong-willed.

"It's not safe for me to be here," Zoe continued in a hushed voice. "My family, they... well, you could say they've... disowned me." She chuckled softly, but there was no humor to it.

"Zoe, I don't know what to say. This is all my fault and I'm so sorry."

"None of that right now," Zoe said, grabbing Mia's hand and rushing her out of the cell. "Come on."

The younger woman lead them to a narrow space in between two walls. "We'll squeeze through here. It's a shortcut."

Mia dazedly followed her through the narrow hallways of the basement, and back through the house and to Zoe's trailer.

Mia wanted desperately to believe that they could cure this like Zoe believed they could. But honestly, she was afraid of remembering what had happened before. She was involved in this somehow, with this girl, and she couldn't possibly see how that could be a good thing. Who exactly was she working for that would have her transport cargo in the shape of a weaponized little girl? What kind of person was she?

She would have to remember. Zoe was counting on her to remember.

It made her feel sick again trying to understand why she was involved in something as horrible as this. She just really hoped it was for a good reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really appreciate any comments, kudos, or feedback :) Thanks for reading


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoe pisses off one of the molded, resulting in Mia having to stitch her up. Zoe hates needles.

Before Zoe was even awake she heard the screams. The sound jolted her out of her own dreams and into consciousness. It took her a moment to realize what was happening, and when she did she stumbled up from the mattress on the floor and headed over in the dark to the bed where Mia lay screaming. Again.

Zoe sighed and knelt down on her knees next to the low-profile bed. Mia was trashing in her sleep, moaning and crying out "No!" over and over again. By now, Zoe would have assumed that she should have grown immune to Mia's shrill, terrified screams each night, but they still managed to send chills throughout her whole body.

"Mia," Zoe said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her from thrashing. "You're havin' another nightmare." She didn't think shaking Mia awake would be a good idea, so she cupped her cheeks instead.

"Mia," she said again. "Wake up. Please. Look at me."

After a few more jerking movements, Mia opened her eyes, but they were glazed over as if she wasn't really seeing her.

"Hey," Zoe said, brushing her thumb across Mia's cheek. "Calm down. Just another nightmare. You with me?"

Mia blinked a few times and then nodded. Her chest was rapidly rising and falling, her breaths coming out in uneven pants.

"I'll put the kettle on." It's what Mama always did for her when she was a child and woke up from a nightmare. _Tea can help cure anything, even the ghosts of bad dreams._

After putting the kettle on the stove, Zoe crawled into the bed next to Mia, laying on the far edge.

Mia was staring blankly up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry," she said.

"I told you to stop apologizing," Zoe mumbled sleepily.

Mia gave Zoe's hand a gentle squeeze, then turned on her side to face the wall.

This was their routine now.

//

Zoe circled the parameter of the property, her shotgun loaded and at the ready, eyes alert for any sudden movement. She had just left the old house with her backpack now full of aspirin, clean bandages, packages of spaghetti, pasta sauce, and more cans of potted meat when a sickly, rotting smell brought her abruptly to a halt.

The body was half-hidden in the bushes, swarmed by flies and sprawled at an unnatural angle. It looked to be a man but it was difficult to tell from the overgrowth of black mold that was covering most of the body. Zoe spotted a piece of paper clutched in his hands. This too was covered in mold, but crouching down she was able to make out a few lines across the paper. ' _Would You Like to Know the Truth?_ ' And written below that was some sort of prayer.

Zoe swallowed, fighting down the urge to throw up. "Poor bastard," she muttered, standing back up.

Another one of Evie's kills. This was the fourth one now - that she had discovered anyway. The first two, a young couple, had stumbled across the property after a dead car battery sent them looking for someone to help them with a jump, and unfortunately for them they wound up at the hell house. Zoe tried to warn them, she really did, but they were too stupid, and Daddy had gotten to them before they even had time to try and make a run for it.

Her parents were murderers now.

Her folks had always been kind-hearted by nature. It tore Zoe up inside to know that this was how they wound up, killing innocent people who had happened to stumble into the wrong place at the wrong time. And what really left her awake at night was wondering if they were still somehow conscious of what was happening even if they didn't have control over their own bodies anymore. What if they were aware, but they were forced to watch their own actions unwillingly?

Zoe kicked at the ground in frustration. God she really needed a cigarette. Too bad she had run out weeks ago. She had planned on quitting for a while now, but she just never imagined the reason would be something as screwed up as this.

Zoe turned away from the body and headed back for the trailer. There was nothing she could do for him now.

Tracking down the serum had turned out to be a little more difficult than she had initially anticipated. For starters it was difficult to try and track something down that she had no knowledge of - what it looked like, or what it would even do. A cure of some sort, but who knew what kind of after effects it might have? The serum could have be anywhere, or worse case scenario, Evie had gotten her hands on it and destroyed it. That was definitely a possibility to consider. 

It could also still be hidden away on the ship. But right now it was impossible to get to the bayou with Evie somehow being able to track her and Mia's every move. The one night that they had tried to sneak out to the ship they were greeted with Evie already waiting for them at the dock, along with her molded creatures that she now had lurking around the property.

Weeks passed, and they were still no closer to getting out of this misery than they were on day one. 

The battery in Zoe's cellphone had mysteriously disappeared, but the small TV in her trailer - despite the cable being out - still got channel 5, a news station. Zoe turned it on each day to check the date, and also as a way of still feeling connected to the rest of the world. Sometimes it felt like the the world didn't even exist anymore, it was just this hellish purgatory bubble left. There were no more reports on the ship crash or any of the passengers who had gone missing, like Mia. Zoe had a feeling it was all being covered up. She didn't know who exactly Mia was working for, but they didn't seem like the type of association who would let information willingly leak to the public.

Unfortunately for Mia, this meant that no one would even know she was missing. Zoe couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman. Mia was constantly reminding her that her husband would be wondering where she was and that the police or someone would come for her soon. It was now the middle of November and so far no one had come.

Zoe had just reached the courtyard area of the main house when she stopped dead in her tracks. One of the molded creatures was slinking slowly across the yard. She immediately crouched down behind a nearby tree.

_Shit_. Today's run had actually gone without incident. So much for that...

Zoe eyed up the target and took careful aim. She wouldn't shoot unless it spotted her and tried to attack. Ammo was a precious commodity that she couldn't afford to be stupid with. The problem was that the damn thing was blocking her path to the trailer. If she was patient enough she could try to sneak her way over, using bushes to help her on her path.

Hell, she could just make a dash for it. The molded were slow and a bit stupid, but they did however, pack an awful punch with those sharp claws of theirs.

Zoe waited several minutes until the creature had it's back turned to her, deciding to try and take the slow and stealthy approach. She remained crouched as she hurried between bushes across the yard. It was probably best not to bring any unnecessary attention to herself and draw in Evie or one of her family members.

She was so close. Thirty feet. Twenty feet. fifteen feet. Just a little further.

The blow seemed to come out of nowhere. A sharp pain shot up her back as she was suddenly thrown forward into the dirt. All at once she heard the familiar screeching noises of the molded. She rolled onto her back and looked up in time to see that one of the disgusting things had taken her by surprise from behind, and was now looming menacingly over her, raising its arm to strike her again.

_BAM!_ She wasted no time in taking the shot. It's head exploded, little bits of blackish flesh splattering everywhere.

She quickly scrambled to her feet, her ears ringing and her heart hammering against her rib cage. She raced to the trailer before the other one on her left could reach her and shot up the steps to the trailer, throwing open the door.

She was so disoriented that she didn't realize that she had slammed into something in the doorway. Someone.

"What the hell!" Mia shouted as they collided and tumbled back against the kitchen sink.

"Lock the door." Zoe commanded in a shaky voice. She had lost her balance and sank to the floor.

Stunned, Mia quickly shut the door and a sharp click confirmed that it was now locked, then rushed back over to Zoe's side, crouching down beside her.

"What just happened? I heard a shot. Are you okay?"

"The damn thing got me from behind." Zoe said, trying to catch her breath. She was visibly shaking as she slid off the backpack. Her pulse was still pounding in her ears.

Mia picked up the backpack that was now stained red and frowned, her expression transforming from stunned curiosity to immense concern. "Zoe, you're bleeding."

In Zoe's haste to get inside she had temporarily forgotten about the pain on her back. Now that it was pointed out it was the only thing she could notice. "It's just a scratch," she said.

"Let me see it."

Zoe hesitated for a moment, but when she met Mia's concerned gaze she finally scooted around so her back was to Mia. Mia leaned forward and pulled down the neck of her shirt, causing Zoe to wince in pain. 

Zoe heard a soft gasp.

"What?" She asked, trying to keep her voice from sounding panicked.

"This isn't good..." she said, continuing to tug further on Zoe's shirt. "Looks like the backpack made a pretty good shield, but not good enough. There's a pretty nasty slash on your upper back, right on the shoulder blade. There's... there's a lot of blood."

Mia traced a gentle finger tip around the cut. "Sorry," she said as Zoe flinched slightly. "I'm afraid I might have to stitch this up."

" _What?_ " Zoe asked again, this time unable keep her panicked tone under control.

"Why don't you lie down on the bed so I can get a better look at it." Zoe turned around and saw that Mia's hands were now discreetly hidden behind her back. She gave Zoe a small smile.

"I'm fine," Zoe said firmly, but that was an obvious lie. Now that the adrenaline rush was rapidly fading, Zoe was starting to feel slightly light-headed. Still, there was no way in hell she was going to let anyone stitch her up... It was just a scratch... 

"Zoe, come on, you're not fine. You're losing a lot of blood and this needs to be taken care of right away or you could... be in trouble."

Zoe didn't miss the sudden pause in Mia's words or the way she avoided making eye contact. Zoe knew the word she was avoiding. _Die_.

Zoe sighed. "I ain't too good with needles. It really has to be stitched up?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. It's not good."

Zoe said nothing. Her head was feeling more fuzzy by the minute, like it was slowly being filled with sand. 

"We're a team, remember?" Mia said calmly. "We take care of each other. And you've certainly done that for me. So let me be the nurse for once, okay?"

Zoe tried to avoid Mia's gaze, but one quick glance at those dark eyes and she was trapped. Zoe felt herself melting away as a warmth spread through her stomach. Damn those dark, mysterious eyes. 

She wasn't oblivious to Mia's good looks. She tried to keep her cool though, the woman was married after all, and this was definitely not the time for some silly school girl crush when they had much more important things to worry about - like surviving this nightmare and getting the hell out of here.

"Only if you wear one of them cute little outfits," Zoe teased. She was much more on the delusional state of sanity by now. She would probably be embarrassed later, but right now the aftershocks of the adrenaline made her feel braver than usual.

Mia's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but her voice suggested a hint of laughter. "I think we're fresh out of those."

"Damn."

A soft smile lit up Mia's face. "Be a good patient and do as the nurse says. Lay down on the bed."

So Zoe did. Each time she moved, her shoulder throbbed in pain, but eventually she found a comfortable position laying on her side on the bed. Mia went to kitchen and washed her hands, then rummaged through the cupboard until she discovered the first aid kit. A moment later she came over with the kit as well as a small bowl and a glass over water. She flipped on the light above the bed.

"You should stay hydrated," Mia said, handing her the glass of water. Zoe sat up, wincing slightly, but took a drink. It helped clear her head a little.

"So what did you find today?" Mia asked casually as she took out a small bottle of sterilizing alcohol and a needle and thread. Zoe had the feeling Mia was trying to distract her. The sight of the needle made her stomach lurch. She took another drink of the water.

"More aspirin... some bandages... uh... spaghetti... no serum..." Zoe struggled to focus on what she was saying with that damn needle flashing under the lamp light. "Aspirin..."

Mia took the thread and licked her lips in concentration as she focused on carefully getting it through the eye of the needle. "You said aspirin already."

"And there was... a body. Another one."

"What?" Mia dropped the needle onto the floor. "Shit."

"I think he was one of those crazy religious folk that come knockin' on doors, trying to get you to buy into their bullshit... Guess he came to the wrong door."

"Not another one," Mia muttered. 

"There was nothin' I could do. It was too late for him..."

There was silence as Mia retrieved the needle from the floor and then quickly changed the subject. "Okay first, I'm gonna have to clean the cut. I think you'll need to remove the shirt." She avoided looking at her, reaching for the bottle of alcohol and studying the contents on the label. 

Zoe sat up, willing herself to ignore the pain while carefully removing her t-shirt, trying with all her might not to blush in front of Mia, but failing miserably. Zoe met Mia's eyes for a brief moment and this only caused her cheeks to warm even further. She turned away to lay back down on her stomach, burying her face in the pillow, but she could have sworn that Mia was trying to hide a smirk. 

"Um, the bra too," Mia said. "The strap is sort of... in the way."

"Well you're right there, ain't ya?" Again, it was the sudden bravery talking, not her.

Mia hesitated for a moment and then Zoe felt Mia's hands on her back, fumbling with the clasp of her bra and then carefully unhooking it. She pushed the straps down until they reached Zoe's elbows.

"You sure you're qualified for first aid?" Zoe asked dubiously.

"Not really, but you don't have another option, do you?"

"Fair point."

"Are you ready?"

"I suppose, since I ain't got a choice."

Mia started by wiping up some of the excess blood with a wash cloth. Zoe was surprised by the amount of blood that came away on the cloth. Since she couldn't get a look at her back she wasn't quite sure of the amount of damage done. But Mia was right - it wasn't looking good.

"So far so good... You okay?" Mia asked.

"Still alive."

"Good because this is going to hurt." Mia paused, picking up the bottle of alcohol and unscrewing the cap. "Probably a lot."

"Great," Zoe said dryly. "I can't wait."

"Just try to relax, okay?" Mia ran a reassuring hand over her lower back, carefully avoiding the slashes or the area around them.

Zoe closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, willing herself to ignore the pain on her shoulder, and tried to imagine another reason why Mia would be running her hands over her bare back...

But all too soon Mia's soft touch was gone, and she was completely vulnerable again. A few moments passed before the first cool splash of alcohol made contact with her shoulder blade. And then a half-second later, searing pain.

Zoe bit her lip to try and keep silent, but soon the pain had swollen and completely engulfed her so that she was unable to focus on anything else. It was just too intense and she let out a scream of agony. Her shoulder felt like it was on fire.

Through the fire Zoe felt Mia's hand return to her lower back, rubbing gentle circles. Mia's light touches were almost enough to make her forget about the pain. Almost, but not quite.

Several moments passed before the fire on her shoulder slowly dwindled and Zoe was able to somewhat relax again.

"Okay?" Mia asked.

Zoe could only nod, eyes still closed. She concentrated very hard on taking even breaths.

"Okay..." Mia said uncertainly. "Now the hard part."

Zoe opened her eyes and turned her head on the pillow to face Mia. Her hands trembled slightly as she sterilized the needle with the alcohol. 

"Y'alright?" Zoe asked in a quiet voice. "You look a little nervous."

Mia cleared her throat awkwardly before she spoke. "Yeah, it's just I've never stitched anyone up before. I've only seen someone else do it. I know what to do... I've just never had hands on experience that's all. So yeah, just a little nervous..."

"Hey, I'm the one being stitched up here."

"Right. I'm sorry. I promise I'll try to make it as quick and painless as possible."

//

Try as Mia may, it still hurt like hell. Worse than hell. And certainly worse than the severe burning of the alcohol. 

But Zoe was alive. And she would heal. She wasn't a quitter.

They would try again to find the serum soon. 

She wasn't going to let that little bitch Eveline take her home and her family without a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really appreciate any comments, kudos, or feedback :) Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a shorter chapter. Mia finds an interesting magazine in Zoe's trailer.

Aspirin. Mia desperately needed aspirin.

Or anything to take the edge off. A drink would be nice, but that would probably wind up making the migraine even worse.

After rummaging through the kitchen drawers and coming up empty handed, Mia headed over to the bed. Where the hell did Zoe put the aspirin? She was pretty sure she had just seen her take some of it this morning. Surely, that couldn't have been the last of it. They had luckily just found a new supply a week ago, they shouldn't have been out already. 

Mia sighed and rubbed her temple as another stabbing pain rushed through her head.

There was a drawer next to the bed that she hadn't checked yet.

Mia pulled open the drawer.

_Yes_. There it was.

But what caught her eye was the magazine that had been pushed almost to the back of the drawer. It was folded in half, the edges of the front page crinkled and torn. A voluptuous blonde woman was plastered on the cover clad in only a bikini. 

Curiosity getting the better of her, Mia pushed aside the bottle of aspirin and grabbed the magazine. Upon opening to the first few pages she was shocked to find it was full of photos of scantily clad women, some of whom were fully nude. Her pulse quickly increased with each turn of the page, but for some reason she couldn't stop looking. She came to a stop at a full spread of a completely nude red-head with a noticeably fake tan and fake tits.

Why would Zoe have this magazine in her drawer? Was it her brother's? _And why the hell was she still looking at it?_

"What the hell are you doing?"

" _Jesus._ " Mia jumped, dropping the magazine to the floor. She was so engrossed in the pages that she hadn't realized that Zoe had returned from her shower outside. Unfortunately, the tiny bathroom in the trailer did not come equipped with a shower and trying to use the one inside of the house was way too risky. So they resorted to using the hose out back. Luckily it was hidden away behind some trees and shrubbery, but Mia still hated showering out there. It felt way too open, especially when members of the Baker family regularly stalked the property.

Mia looked up to find the younger woman standing in the doorway, now dressed in a flannel and her standard loose-fit jeans, hair still dripping wet from the shower, her face turning blood red as her gaze fastened onto the magazine that was now face down on the floor.

"I-uh-" Mia stammered awkwardly, too startled to be able to form words yet. Her cheeks grew warm, probably turning the same shade of red as Zoe's face. She bent down to retrieve the magazine.

"I'm sorry," Mia said. "I didn't mean to look at... that... I was just looking for some aspirin. My migraine is out of control today."

"You didn't meant to look, but you were so absorbed in it that you didn't even notice me come in?" Zoe asked, cocking an eyebrow in confusion. "Makes sense."

"I didn't know I was going to find..." She didn't really know what to call that magazine. "I didn't mean -"

Zoe snatched the magazine out of Mia's hands. "I can explain," she said, folding her arms across her chest and staring at the floor.

"You don't have to explain."

"Well you're probably wonderin' why I have a magazine like this."

Mia shook her head. "It's okay to be curious."

"I ain't curious," she said, her eyes now locked onto Mia's. "I'm gay."

There was a silent pause as Mia processed that.

"Oh," Mia said finally, blinking a few times. "Right... Of course."

_Duh. Of course she's gay, you idiot._

Suddenly it all made sense. Of course. Of course.

"This was from when I was about fifteen," Zoe said, rolling up the magazine, her cheeks still flushed. "I don't look at stuff like that anymore."

"Zoe you don't have to be embarrassed," Mia reassured her calmly. "It's fine. Teenagers look at dirty magazines."

"Trust me, being gay in the south is never fine. It's usually safer to just stay in the closet."

"Well, you never have to be ashamed to be honest with me. Never. We're still a team."

A small smile bloomed across Zoe's face that instantly warmed Mia's heart and she couldn't help but return the smile herself.

Suddenly, Zoe pulled her into a hug. It took Mia a moment to relax into it after being caught off guard, but when she did she placed a hand on Zoe's back, pulling her in a little closer. Mia breathed in her familiar scent of lavender and fabric softener. Despite the fact that they were basically living in contaminated filth, Zoe still managed to smell so damn good. And Mia was pretty sure that scent would remained engraved in her brain for quite a long time.

"Thank you," Zoe said before pulling away, sniffling a little. "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that. It can be scary being gay in the south. Even folks you think seem caring and trustworthy will disappoint you when they won't except you for who you truly are."

"I'm sorry," Mia said, sympathetically. She knew all about how places in the south weren't exactly what you would call "accepting". Living in Texas for the past few years had definitely opened her eyes to that. It was very different from growing up in New York. "You're too good for them anyway. If such a silly thing as that will turn them away from you, then fuck them. Seriously, I've never met a girl as generous and caring as you... Even if you did almost blow my head off when we first met."

Zoe cracked a smile, but her eyes appeared to be glistening as if she were on the verge of tears. "I told ya, it was broken. I'd never do a thing like that." She winked.

"Well if it weren't for you, I would probably still be wasting away down in that cell. I think about that a lot. You didn't have to risk your life for me. So I should be the one thanking you."

Zoe looked somewhat surprised but she just shrugged. "Everything's a risk these days. And I wasn't just gonna leave ya down there."

"I know. You do have a kind heart. Thank you, Zoe. For everything that you've done for me. I really don't know how I can repay you for it all." She truly didn't. And sometimes that thought broke her a little on the inside. 

Zoe tilted her head, considering her options. "I'll think of something once we all get outta here. We have more important things to worry about right now."

"Does your family know?" Mia asked, immediately regretting it. It probably wasn't her place to ask such questions.

Zoe took a moment before she answered. "Lucas does," she finally said, sighing. It was obviously a touchy subject. "But it wasn't by my choice. I'd rather not get into that right now. Let's just focus on tryin' to find this serum."

"Of course," Mia said. "That we can do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really appreciate any comments, kudos, or feedback :) Thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will be broken up into two separate parts. So here's part one. Part two should be uploaded sometime this week.
> 
> (Part 1/2)  
> Mia finally breaks.

The blow narrowly missed Mia.

With a stroke of luck, she had lost her balance and stumbled forward, missing the heavy swing of Jack Baker's shovel by half a second. The end of the shovel collided with the wall. Mia gasped in pain as she landed palms out on the wooden floor, burning her hands as she slid forward across the rough surface.

"Play time's over girls." Jack's voice rang out from above her as he yanked the shovel from it's place in the wall. Small peices of dry wall crumbled to the floor in it's place. "Your daughter wants to have a word with you."

"I'm not her _fucking_ mother," Mia choked out, scrambling back to her feet. There was no time to dwell on the pain of her now torn-up palms.

She was shaking with nerves, and now anger. Anger towards a little demonic girl who wouldn't stop claiming to be her daughter. For Jack Baker, she only felt pity and maybe a little bit of fear.

Alright, a lot of fear.

Mia took a moment to quickly scan the room to see where Zoe had gone off to, but she was nowhere in site.

Jack made a tsk tsk noise and shook his head slowly. "What a foul mouth you got. Is that anyway for a mother to talk about her child? You're lucky she's even givin' you another chance. "

Over Jack's shoulder, Mia spotted a flash of short dark hair darting across the room.

"If she wants to see me so bad, why doesn't she just come find me herself instead of playing these bullshit games of cat and mouse?" Mia said. She was stalling for time. Since Jack only seemed to be interested in her and not Zoe, Mia had volunteered to be the bait, a decision which she was now starting to regret. One little misstep and they were both done for.

Another run for supplies gone poorly. They couldn't keep taking chances like this.

"You gotta lot of nerve questioning Eveline." He took another swing at her, but Mia quickly side-stepped him.

As he recovered from his heavy swing, Mia pulled out her loaded handgun and took aim at Jack. She wouldn't shoot, Zoe had given her the gun for emergencies, like your-life-is-in-danger emergencies, and had told her not to shoot at one of her family members unless it was absolutely necessary. This seemed like it was already treading the line of "absolutely necessary." Maybe just pointing the gun at him would be enough to get him to back off a little.

But Jack just laughed his maniacal laugh. "Guns aren't much use around here, girl."

Mia looked over Jack's shoulder again in time to find Zoe fumbling with some sort of wooden statuette in a room off the main hall. She was now holding it up to a light and turning it over on it's side. _What the hell was she doing?_

Taking advantage of Mia's momentary distraction, Jack grabbed her hand that was holding the handgun and forced it to take aim right at his heart. After a moment, he pressed against Mia's finger that was on the trigger and before Mia could even register what was happening the gun went off, leaving Mia standing, stunned, her ears ringing, with the gun still pointed at Jack. A small red stain was now growing on his shirt.

She shot him. She really shot him.

It happened so fast. It wasn't her fault.

And now he was going to die.

But Jack didn't even falter. Instead he pulled down the collar of his shirt to reveal the bloody bullet hole in his chest. It took a moment for Mia to realize that the hole was slowly closing back up, healing itself. The work of an unknown force.

Eveline.

A smug smile spread across his face. "You can't kill me, girl. It's part of the gift." And he raised his shovel once again, ready to take aim as Mia stumbled backwards, bracing herself for the next blow.

It didn't come. 

A loud thud rang out from behind him and suddenly he was tumbling forward. Zoe stood behind him with her shotgun raised above her head. She had knocked him out.

"Y'alright, hon?" Zoe asked.

Mia nodded silently, staring open-mouthed at Jack's crumpled body on the floor.

What the hell had she just witnessed?

"Come on," the younger woman said, grabbing Mia's hand and pulling her forward. "This way."

"Zoe," Mia said as they raced to the room off the main hall. "Didn't you see what happened?"

"Yeah," Zoe said, not looking at her. "I've seen it before."

"What?"

"Their regeneration powers."

Mia took a moment to process that.

"You've seen it before? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought maybe I had hallucinated it. I've been seein' all kinds of weird shit since Evie got here."

"Well that definitely wasn't a hallucination."

Zoe ignored her. "In here," she said.

//

Zoe had shoved her into a narrow passage way just off the main hall of the house and after the two squeezed themselves into the tight space, shimmying their way through to the other end they found themselves in a small, dimly lit lounge room equip with a small kitchen area. Mia could safely say this was the strangest house she had ever been in in her life.

And waiting in the middle of the room was another one of the molded creatures.

Mia didn't even hesitate. The thing's back was turned and before she even knew what she was doing she had grabbed her knife that Zoe had given her and jumped onto it's back, taking it by surprise and stabbing it repeatedly in the back of the head.

Eventually it slumped forward, dead, Mia toppling to the ground with it, straddling it's back, continuing to stab it. Over and over and over again. She couldn't stop. 

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Mia," Zoe's voice pulled her back. "It's dead."

She stood up slowly, brushing back her hair with her blood-crusted hand. The front of her blouse was now covered in black sludge and she was trying not to gag at the putrid smell of it. She turned around to find Zoe standing frozen in place staring at her, eyes wide with concern.

"Are you okay?" Mia asked Zoe, who looked like she was still trying to process what happened.

"Um, I think I should be asking you that. That was some crazy video game move, Hon." Zoe took a moment to scan her up and down, shaking her head in amazement. "You're kind of a badass."

Mia chuckled despite the circumstances, feeling her cheeks grow a little warm. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Don't get all cocky on me now. You've only passed the first test. We'll see how you do with the rest. Now we need to hurry."

"What about your dad? Do you think he'll be back?"

"There's another entrance through there." She gestured to a another door on the other side of the room. "That's why we need to hurry." She went straight to the door ahead of them that was covered in a weird design of jagged wiring, with a big black crow in the middle of it.

"What is this room?" Mia asked, looking around nervously, like at any moment another molded creature might appear out of thin air. 

"The drawing room," Zoe mumbled, fumbling with the door knob, which given Zoe's frustrated sigh, appeared to be locked. " _Dammit._ " 

"Zoe, no offense, but what the fuck?"

There was silence as Zoe gave up on the lock and turned to look up curiously at Mia.

"What?"

"Who designs their house like this? I mean really, a shadow activated secret passageway?"

"Hey it saved our asses, didn't it?" Zoe said, sounding slightly annoyed. She turned back to the door and continued to jimmy with the lock. "And Daddy had the shadow activation installed before I was even born. I think he was a little paranoid about robbers and wanted a way to hide valuables. Like this grenade launcher hidden in here." 

"A little paranoid?" Mia said, raising an eyebrow. "This doesn't strike me as a little paranoid. This is more like next-level paranoia."

"That's just how he is... was. Whatever." 

Zoe's back was turned to her, but Mia didn't need to see her face to know that she had fucked up.

She said nothing, mentally kicking herself for being so thoughtless. It was best not to push Zoe any further, so she instead turned her attention to searching the rest of the room for supplies. She was still on edge after the encounter with Jack and the molded thing. She could only imagine how Zoe must be feeling... Having to see her father in such a state...

It was so frustrating to think that time was just slipping through her fingers and she could do nothing to stop it. She had already been trapped been here for almost three months. Three whole months of her life just gone. It had seemed like such a long time, but at the same time not that long at all. She had a 30th birthday coming up in a few months. What if she was still here on her birthday? 

No. No way she would let that happen.

She just needed to remember something. Anything about that serum. If it was their only way out of this nightmare, she would have to remember sooner or later. She just had to.

What would she be doing if she wasn't trapped here? Working? Would she be with Ethan? Maybe right now they could be eating at that Thai restaurant that Ethan loved and Mia only tolerated for him. God, she would give anything for Thai food right now.

After looting some of the drawers and cupboards Mia manged to find some extra ammo for the handgun and a couple bottles of first aid med. By the time she was done Zoe had more of less given up on the door and was now resorting to pounding on it in frustration.

"Uh Zoe, do you even know how to use a grenade launcher? Why do you want it so bad?" Mia asked skeptically. It was one thing for Zoe to wield a shotgun around, but a grenade launcher of all things just sounded like more trouble than it was worth. Mia could just see the two of them accidentally blowing themselves up with it. She wasn't sure she wanted to know how Jack had gotten his hands on one of those.

Zoe shrugged. "Can't be too hard. Do you?"

"I don't know," Mia said honestly.

"Well I bet you're just full of surprises, ain't ya, Hon?" Zoe teased.

"Maybe."

"Okay so here's test number two. How 'bout you let me know when you can magic this door open here. Damn thing's locked and it ain't budging." Zoe sighed and ran a hand through her disheveled hair.

"What, don't tell me you can't pick this lock?" Mia teased.

Zoe hadn't been shy about showing off her lock-picking abilities. She had jimmied her way into locked tool boxes, drawers, and even some of the doors in the house.

"This ain't just any lock. It's a very specific lock. Can't be picked unfortunately. I told ya the house has certain... specialties about it..."

"So I've noticed..." Mia muttered.

"A very specific lock requires a very specific key. We'll probably have to hunt that down."

"Is it really worth it?" Mia's frustration was rampantly growing.

"I'd say so. The crow key opens a few other doors as well. And who knows what they've got locked up in here now. Maybe they hid the serum in here."

Crow key?

Mia sighed. This whole thing seemed like a never-ending puzzle that would only lead them to more dead-ends. 

"What I wouldn't give right now for a nice glass of wine and a hot bath with a bath bomb."

Zoe chuckled. "Well I don't think you wanna use the bath here. Probably not very sanitary by now. But if you're feelin' brave, we could loot the recreation room upstairs. Daddy keeps a stash up there and we might be able to find ya some sort of alcoholic beverage."

Mia sighed again, long and drawn out. "I can't do this anymore," she muttered. "I can't."

After the day's stressful events, she could feel all the strength she had leaving leaving her body. A wave of nausea suddenly hit her hard and she doubled over and threw up right on the floor.

"So much for being a badass." Mia groaned, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Zoe was by her side in an instant, throwing an arm around her shoulder and leading her over to the couch. "Why don't you take it easy for now?"

"No," Mia said, shaking off Zoe's arm from around her shoulder. "I'm so sick of this. It's been two whole months. I'm going stir crazy, Zoe." Her voice had been steadily rising and she was now yelling. But she was too far gone to stop herself. "How can you remain so calm when our lives are in danger every second of the day? How are you not freaking out?" 

Zoe said nothing, stunned at Mia's sudden outburst. 

"I can't do this anymore," Mia said in a strained, unnatural voice. "I'm tired of living each day in fear of what next terrible thing Evie is going to do. I'm tired of being hungry all the time and scavenging the house for food and medicine and supplies. What happens when we run out of food? Or medicine? What then Zoe? What if I wasn't able to fix your shoulder? You could have easily died. That scared me so much and it took everything I had not to have a break down while trying to stitch your gaping wound. If I had messed up even a little bit... you would be... dead. I can't..." She suddenly realized that she was now sobbing, and at this point she didn't even bother to try and hold back. She let herself crumble. "I can't... do this... anymore."

"Shhh, shhh, it's alright," Zoe soothed and immediately pulled her into her arms. Mia held onto her tightly, buried her face into the crook of Zoe's neck and cried. And cried. Everything she had been holding back these past few months, everything that had threatened to burst to the surface and overwhelm and suffocate her, were finally being let go. It was like she was finally able to breathe freely again.

Zoe didn't say anything for a while. She didn't need to.

Mia just cried until there was nothing else left in her. And Zoe held her the whole time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really appreciate any comments, kudos, or feedback :) Thanks for reading.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Part 2/2)  
> Mia finally breaks. Feelings are slowly developing.

After a while Mia finally untangled herself from Zoe's embrace. But as she pulled away she was left with an empty, vulnerable feeling, wishing that instead she could just stay in the crook of Zoe's neck forever, hidden and safe in her arms, the world around them slowly fading away until it was just the two of them and nothing else mattered.

She wiped at her tear-streaked face which was a mistake. The salt from her tears stung her burnt palms.

God what a fucking mess she was. This whole thing was.

Zoe had pulled back, but she still held onto Mia's arms, never breaking contact.

"I don't think there's anythin' I can say to make this any better and I can't exactly make any promises," she said softly, gently stroking Mia's arm. "But just know that you have me and I will do everythin' I can to get us outta here safely, okay?"

Zoe paused, apparently waiting for some sort of response, so Mia just nodded numbly.

"I won't let anything happen to us..." Zoe continued. "That can't be avoided at least. I know you're scared and overwhelmed, Mia. I am too. All we can do right now is take one day at a time. Survive and endure each day. And you have a reason for survivin' don't ya?"

Mia closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Maybe I don't anymore."

She hadn't meant for it to sound so bitter, but when she opened her eyes again Zoe was flashing her a look of disapproval. 

"Don't be silly, of course you do. Your... husband... is probably worried sick... And I have... Well, I've got school I need to get back to so I can start my own future. We've been lucky enough this far. We're survivors. You and me. We can get through this. We've come this far, right?"

Mia swallowed the lump in her throat. She wasn't going to let herself start crying again. At least not right here in front of Zoe.

She took a moment before speaking, then, finally, "Why don't you hate me, Zoe?" 

Zoe stared for a moment in stunned silence, leaving Mia to wonder if she was even going to answer at all before finally, she blinked. "How could you even ask me such a thing?"

"Because I'm the reason for all of this," Mia nearly whispered.

"We don't know that."

"Well the evidence strongly suggests that I am."

Zoe sighed. They had already had similar discussions before. "Even if you do have somethin' to do with all of this you're obviously just as scared as I am. Maybe you were a pawn in whatever experiment this all is. Maybe "they" kidnapped you. I don't know... Let's not try and focus on the negatives right now. We'll save that for when we get the hell outta here."

Zoe was never going to let her take the blame for all of this, was she?

"I'm sorry for freaking out on you," Mia said. "You didn't deserve that. At all."

"No worries," Zoe said patiently, but she sounded tired. "I think you'll feel better once you let go of that guilt you've been harborin'. And honestly I'm kinda surprised you didn't snap like this sooner... You've been through a lot."

"You have too."

Zoe nodded, but looked away. "Right. It won't do no good to give up now. Anyway, I think we should get you cleaned up. You smell like vomit."

//

Back at the trailer, after a change of clothes and a fresh outdoor shower, Mia sat on the edge of the bed, clad in a pair of Zoe's flannel pajamas, while Zoe knelt in front of her, her backpack laid open on the floor next to her, medical supplies strewn out haphazardly across the floor.

"Let me see your hands."

Mia turned her hands over on her lap, palms up, rolling up the long sleeves of the flannel. A fine layer of skin had been scraped off of each palm during her fall earlier, leaving nothing but an angry red color on each hand.

"Just a friction burn. I think I'll live."

"Just to be safe we should probably get some first aid on that." Zoe pulled out Neosporin and a bottle of first aid med from her backpack. Mia reluctantly held out her palms as Zoe went to work, taking gentle care with her burnt hands. The first aid stung with the first splash, but it wasn't nearly as harsh as the alcohol and besides, she had endured much worse than a friction burn.

"How 'bout your knees? You need those doctored up too?" Zoe asked, eyeing the small bruise now forming on Mia's bare knee.

She hadn't even noticed. "I don't think so. My hands took most of the damage."

"You're lucky you didn't sprain or break a wrist. It could have been so much worse..." 

_Worse than your dad chasing us through the house trying to either kill me or hand me over to the demon child?_ she thought.

"Zoe, are you okay?" It was a pointless question. She knew Zoe well enough by now.

Zoe looked up, a little taken aback and her intense, blue-eyed gaze never failed to sent a little flutter through Mia's stomach.

"I'm fine," Zoe said sternly, but kept her eyes down as she spoke, now moving on to carefully applying Neosporin over Mia's palms.

After a few months of being stuck together, Mia was now accustomed to Zoe's stubborn answer of "I'm fine." It was her go-to response to signal that she didn't want to be pushed any further. She would open up in her own time... Maybe. Mia hadn't gotten to that outcome yet.

Obviously Zoe wasn't up for talking about what had happened with her father, but Mia could tell that she was far more bothered by it than she had let on. Mia was still trying to wrap her head around it herself...

Regeneration powers.... Why was she even surprised anymore?

Some silence passed as Zoe continued her work on Mia's hands and Mia took the quiet moment as an opportunity to study Zoe's carefully concentrated expression. The pursing of her lips and the soft flutter of her long eyelashes against her slightly flushed cheek as she blinked.

Zoe was a pretty girl.

"Did you," Mia started, before she could stop herself. "Did you have a girlfriend before all of this? You know... someone who's missing you right now?"

Zoe's hands froze and a moment of silence passed before she looked up again, and Mia was surprised to find that she almost looked a little scared. "Why?"

"Sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

Someone really needed to stop her from asking such stupid questions during the worst possible moments.

Zoe sighed and then went back to work spreading the Neoporin over Mia's palm. "No, it's alright," she finally said. She was taking a little longer than necessary to apply the substance, carefully rubbing small circles over the burn with her index finger. "The last girl I dated was in high school so it's been a few years. So to answer your question, no I don't have anyone missing me right now."

"Oh."

"Any other questions?" Zoe asked, a hint of annoyance seeping in.

Mia almost flinched at Zoe's icy tone, but she wasn't going to give up on an opportunity to get to know Zoe a little better.

"So there was no one at college?" she asked, trying to keep her tone casual.

Zoe shook her head. "I mainly took online courses so I wasn't on campus a lot."

"You didn't want to attend regular classes?"

"Not exactly. Actually, I was hoping to transfer soon to a bigger school. Somewhere I could feel more comfortable being myself. Small town livin' ain't really for me. I'm dying to get out of this place and go to a big city somewhere."

Mia felt a slight pang of guilt at Zoe's confession. It was one of the few times that Zoe had so freely admitted to a personal desire like this.

"I grew up in New York, so I can understand the craving for a big city too," Mia said.

Zoe's eyes lit up. "Damn, the big apple, huh? I'd love to go there some day."

"Me too. I want to go back. I miss it a lot."

"What was it like?"

"Crazy. Cold. And expensive. Like crazy expensive. But worth it if you can handle it." Mia paused, snippets of her childhood flashing in her mind. "I miss the snow."

"I've only ever seen snow a coupla times" Zoe admitted. "Louisiana rarely sees snow. But it happened a few times when I was a kid. I don't remember it too well and it wasn't a lot of snow, but I do remember it being a pretty magical moment."

Mia grinned, trying to imagine Zoe seeing snow for the first time as a little girl. "It is magical," she said. "But only when you're not freezing your ass off commuting to school or work. I'd love to see the snow again."

"You will," Zoe said. She sounded so sure, Mia couldn't help but believe it herself.

"I think you will too," Mia said after a moment.

She was rewarded with a small smile as Zoe finished applying the Neosporin. "All done. I _reckon_ you'll live," Zoe said, playfully exaggerating her accent. She gave Mia a quick wink before putting the cap back on the ointment tube and returning it to her backpack.

Turning back to face Mia, their eyes met again and after a brief moment Zoe reached up to softly brush back a dark strand of hair from Mia's face. 

Almost instantly, Mia felt a slight flush creep up her neck as her breath caught in her throat.

Zoe was looking up at her with what appeared to be a knowing smirk.

_Damn her._

"Thank you," Mia managed to say after a moment, looking down at her hands and breaking the spell, ignoring the nervous little flutters in her stomach. It was another one of those unspoken moments between the two of them that they sometimes shared. A moment that caused the air in the room to change and sent an electric rush through Mia's body.

Zoe cleared her throat and then slowly, almost reluctantly, rose back to her feet and the two continued on the day as normal. Making plans of an impossible escape, taking inventory of food and supplies, and of course ignoring any left-over tension from their shared intimate moment.

This certainly wasn't the first time that Zoe had left Mia feeling this way. Sometimes Zoe just had that sort of effect on her.

She decided it was probably best not to question what the little moments like that meant.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mia's gone.  
> (Trigger Warning for a homophobic slur used in this chapter, just in case)

The transition from Winter to Spring passed in a hazy blur, bringing misty rain showers that matched Zoe's mood perfectly. Spring was normally a time when most people would eventually fall out of their seasonal depression, but Zoe was just beginning to fall into hers.

It was now spring and that meant that half a year had passed. A whole six months of her life wasted. And she was now another semester behind in school. Her old life was beginning to seem like some distant memory from her childhood, and some days she couldn't tell what was reality anymore and what was a dream.

And at this point Zoe was beginning to question whether or not the serum even existed at all. Their only ticket out of here. Was Mia in her right mind when she wrote that letter mentioning the serum? Probably not. She couldn't even remember anything about what happened, so how could she possibly know anything about a potential cure? Zoe wondered if this was just going to be their life now: struggling to survive, fighting for their lives each day, living in constant fear. The thought depressed the hell out of her, but she had to admit it was a strong possibility. After all, they'd already been here for six months without even the tiniest of clues as to where the serum could be.

//

When you spend nearly every second of every day with someone, after a while it gets to be a bit... much. Little things that you normally wouldn't bat an eye over start to set you off. A certain kind of tension grows, constantly hovering in the air, waiting to suffocate you at any moment. Especially if you were harboring secret feelings for that certain someone...

Zoe didn't shy away from being a bit flirty with Mia once in a while, and hell, she had even managed to make the woman blush a few times. But flirty banter only went so far, and Zoe constantly had to remind herself that Mia was married and that she had absolutely no chance with her. 

_What the hell is wrong with you, fantasizing about a woman in a situation like this?_ Zoe regularly asked herself.

Tensions were slowly rising along with the temperature. Mia had borrowed some of Zoe spring and summer apparel. Tank tops and thin blouses that she insisted on wearing around the trailer - usually without a bra. If Zoe was religious she might ponder whether or not the Lord was testing her. More than once Zoe had to politely excuse herself to go take a nice cold shower outside to help clear her head.

It was difficult to stop herself from thinking about the married woman when she was, well, constantly in her proximity. 

A nice long shower usually worked wonders for clearing Zoe's head, and after that she was good to be back in that box with Mia, for a couple of hours anyway...

//

It started with a broken cassette tape.

Music was one of the only forms of entertainment they had left and one of Zoe's last connections to the old world, and since Zoe's phone no longer worked it was down to the old cassette player she still kept from her childhood. With an already limited number of cassettes to listen to, it came as a huge blow the day Zoe discovered that her most beloved one from her childhood was now missing.

After asking Mia if she had seen the tape and Mia had responded with a tentative "Zoe..." before crossing the room to the bed and pulling the broken cassette out from under the mattress.

"I'm sorry." She held up the tape. "I know it was your favorite. I think it was eaten the last time we listened to it. I tried to rewind it, and well... It was probably just from overuse."

"And you just decided to hide it under the mattress? Thinkin' I would never find out?" Zoe asked slightly irritated, taking the tape from Mia and inspecting it thoroughly. The tape had come out through the bottom of the cassette in a tangled mess, leaving it unfit for repair.

"I didn't want it to upset you," Mia said, stepping close to her.

Zoe sighed. It was kind of impossible to stay irritated with Mia when she was looking at her like that. "It's alright. No more hidin' shit from me though. I don't like that." She tossed the defective tape into a box of old junk.

Mia nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Next were the cigarettes.

"Where the hell is my pack of cigarettes?" Zoe had asked one rainy afternoon. Mia was seated at the kitchenette table, mindlessly flipping through an old magazine. 

"Zoe..." Mia started, not looking up from the magazine.

Zoe knew that tone by now.

"Where are they?" she demanded a little more harshly than she had intended.

"They're gone. I stomped them out in the yard."

Zoe could only stare at her. "You what? Why the hell would you do that?"

"Seriously? They're so horrible for you. I can't believe you actually smoke those things. I don't want you getting lung cancer."

Zoe threw up her hands in frustration. "You really believe that matters anymore? We're already infected with God knows what..." Zoe regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth, wishing somehow she could take them back in.

Mia flinched as if she had been slapped.

Zoe couldn't blame her for her reaction. This whole time she had tried to be the positive one, to be the light for Mia in this seemingly never-ending darkness. But god damn she had almost cried tears of joy at finding that pack hidden away in an old storage box hidden under the porch. It was only half a pack, and the few cigarettes that were left were stale as fuck, but she needed them. She really needed them. Another connection to the old world, and they helped to calm her nerves. 

The hidden broken cassette tape she could understand, but this...

"You had no right to do that," Zoe said, keeping her voice calm. 

"I only did it because I care."

"It was just four or five cigarettes. Ain't nothin' to fuss over."

Mia bit her lip and the conversation ended there.

After those two incidents it was the little things that started to bother Zoe.

She felt guilty, but she knew Mia probably felt the same sometimes. At times it felt like getting to experience living with a college dorm-mate that she had missed out on. Except they never got a fucking break from each other. Even the happiest of couples needed some alone time once in a while...

But they didn't have that option. It was too risky to be split up from each other for long. Zoe knew that Mia could handle herself just fine with a gun, but it was Evie she didn't trust to not try and make a move if she knew the two of them were away from one another.

//

The day that Zoe had woken up to find Mia's side of the bed empty she immediately sensed that something wasn't quite right. Panic flooded her whole body as she quickly stumbled out of bed and through the trailer. It was a short search and she could only hope that Mia was just out for an early morning shower. But unfortunately, after a quick walk around the back yard, Zoe quickly discovered that wasn't the case.

Upon Zoe's return to the trailer she found a piece of paper taped to the front door. It read in big black letters "IF YOU COME AFTER HER YOU DIE SISTER."

Zoe stood staring at the words.

Mia was gone. Really gone.

And now Zoe was left scared and alone.

//

Zoe stood outside the boarded-up guest house, a lit cigarette between her lips, her eyes scanning the old house for a way inside. Of course the little demon child knew that Zoe wasn't going to let her take Mia without a fight. The doors were now locked with what looked like special-looking keys and the windows had been boarded up and nailed tightly shut.

Her eyes traveled up the decrepit house until they reached the roof. If she could find a way up there then there might be a smidgen of a chance that she could still get in the house that way. A secret entrance from the roof led to the attic. As kids, Lucas and Zoe used to dare each other to climb the ladder from the attic to the roof without their folks finding out.

"Lookin' for Mama Mia?" said a voice behind her.

Zoe jumped and turned around to see Lucas standing behind her. He was wearing one of his usual baggie hoodies with the hood pulled up, almost covering his eyes.

"I ain't in the mood for games today, Lucas. Where is she?"

He ignored her question. "Didn't Mama always tell you 'Smoking kills?'" he asked, eyeing the lit cigarette between her fingers.

"Well I found these in her green house," Zoe said, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

Lucas nodded. "The bitch never did practice what she preached."

"Don't you call her that," Zoe muttered angrily. Her patience with this conversation was already wearing thin. "Where's Mia?" she asked again.

Lucas grinned like he was ecstatic to tell her the news. "Let's just say her and her daughter are havin' a little family reunion."

Zoe swallowed hard. If Evie got into Mia's head... She would wind up just like the others. Zoe felt sick to her stomach just from thinking about how terrified Mia must be. She wouldn't let that happen her. She just couldn't.

"I know it seems like you've found yourself another girlfriend," Lucas continued with smug arrogance. "But I wouldn't get yer hopes up. And she sure is a purty one, ain't she? Too bad it just ain't meant to be. Mama Mia's got more important things to do than the likes of you. Besides, she's prolly got taste. Not everyone's into diesel dykes."

Zoe felt her face burn, more in anger than anything else.

"Fuck you," she spat, side-stepping Lucas and heading toward the guest house. Trying to have a conversation with him was pointless.

"Hey whaddya think, Zo? You reckon I gotta chance with Mia? I reckon I'm more her type if you know what I mean." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

Zoe scowled and tightened her grip on the handgun she carried with her. "If you even think about layin' one hand on her, I'll fucking kill you. You stay away from her, ya hear me?"

He chuckled. "Seems a lil' dark, even for you, Zo... Always the difficult one..."

"Yeah and you've always been the saint, huh?"

He ignored that. "But you're prolly right. Ain't nothin' gonna come between Evie and her Mommy."

"Nothin' except me."

"Uh uh uh, this is a mother and daughter bonding time only."

"She ain't her fucking mother, alright?"

"I wouldn't try to go in there if I was you. Like I said, Evie ain't gonna let you come between her and Mama Mia again. But if you wanna go ahead, hell it's your funeral. But don't say I didn't warn ya. I take it you saw the note?"

Zoe glared at him. "Sometimes I wonder if you're immune to Evie's gifts like me."

That seemed to chance him off guard. "What the hell's that mean?"

"I reckon you're enjoying this a little too much for someone who's supposed to be brainwashed like Mama and Daddy. Maybe Evie's "gift" is just an excuse for you to act like your true sadistic self. I do remember what happened when we were kids." She paused. "With Oliver."

Lucas didn't flinch. Only glared at her.

Lucas suddenly grabbed her arm, squeezing hard.

"You best watch yourself, baby sister." To Zoe's surprise, he let go just as suddenly as he grabbed her and took the lit cigarette from Zoe. He took a puff, then turned and walked away, taking Zoe's cigarette with him.

//

Mia woke to the smell of must and rot, her head aching along with the rest of her body. Her surroundings were strange and wrong. Where were the angels and fairy lights? The colorful patterned throw blankets that Zoe hung from the walls and ceiling? The smell of lavender incense was missing.

Mia sat up slowly.

Fuck. She was back in her prison cell.

No. This had to be another nightmare. She was safe with Zoe in her trailer.

Mia shivered on the sweat-drenched sheets. She had somehow wound up back in the same sleeveless blouse that she had been wearing when she had first woken up here and the cell was just as cold. The feeling of Déjà vu made her skin tingle.

"Hello Mommy."

The voice startled Mia and she looked up to see a little girl with dark, stringy hair, standing at the end of the bed, a cold, cruel smile on her pale face.

"Eveline."

It was the first time Mia had seen Evie in person, but she recognized the little girl instantly from the nightmares that plagued her sleep each night.

The dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin.... Zoe was right, the girl was the splitting image of Mia.

Eveline stared at her carefully for a long while, saying nothing, her cold eyes never leaving Mia's. It made Mia's skin crawl. She fought to keep her composure.

A long few seconds ticked by.

"Why have you been avoiding me, Mommy?" Eveline finally asked.

"I'm not your mother," Mia responded automatically.

"Yes you are."

"I'm not," Mia said firmly. "What do you want with me? Where's Zoe?"

Evie tilted her head to the side, studying her carefully. It made Mia feel like a specimen in a lab. "Why are you always running away to her? Zoe. Sister."

"She's my friend."

"Friend," Evie said curiously, like she had never heard the word before.

"Yes, a friend," Mia repeated.

"She's not like the others. She's bad," Eveline spat, her words growing more venomous. "She needs to be punished. Just like you. You were bad too for running to her."

"Eveline please just let us go. If you do that we can find your real mother. Your real family."

"No!" Evie yelled. "This is my real family. And I won't let you take them away from me. If you run away to Sister again I will kill her. I'll make you kill her. I can do that." 

Mia tried not to flinch at Eveline's words. "You would kill your own sister?" she asked in a strained voice.

Evie grinned. "If she was being bad, then yes."

"How could you do something so horrible?"

Evie narrowed her eyes. "But what about you, Mommy?"

"What?"

"How could you do something so horrible? You were bad too. Sister wouldn't like you anymore if she knew. She would _hate_ you. She would want you _dead_." Eveline giggled.

Mia said nothing. Panic was beginning to work its way to her chest, sending chills up her spine.

"I can show you what happened," Evie said, taking a step closer. "What you did... I can show you just how bad you really were."

A few more steps and she was hovering over Mia.

"Do you want me to show you?" she asked, grinning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've made it this far, please let me know what you think.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Part 1/2)

A sharp pain shot through Zoe's arm as she crashed to the floor. The drop from the attic was a long one, enough to possibly have broken Zoe's arm. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. The crash landing was already loud enough, she didn't need to make any more noise and risk being discovered.

She carefully stood up and dusted herself off with her good arm.

She tried to raise her arm and it hurt, but not enough to suspect that it was broken. Sprained, maybe, but hopefully not broken. She really didn't need a broken arm right now. It would probably be sore for a while though. 

_Just get in, find Mia, and get the hell out._

The floorboards creaked and groaned with every step she took. The room was nearly pitch black. Zoe took out her lighter and lit it, illuminating the room in an eerie glow. Already she could see that the place had changed. Black mold stained the walls and piled up in corners of the room. It was sad to see the collapse of her folks' hard work they put into the property all those years. The house felt so different to her now, so unsafe.

She tried not to think about Eveline or the molded who might pop out of thin air at any given moment. Or worse yet, she tried not to think about what Eveline could have done to Mia. She didn't fully believe that Eveline would kill her since she believed Mia to be her mother. But if she made Mia into one of her prisoners like the rest of her family... Zoe didn't know what was worse: death or complete loss of yourself. Either way she would lose Mia.

_Focus_ , Zoe told herself as she descended the attic stairs and then the stairs down to the first floor. _You can still get to her before either of those things happen._

The house was so quiet and each step she took felt ear-shatteringly loud.

A sudden flash of long dark hair rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs. Mia?

But when she rounded the corner she found nothing but another empty hallway leading to the open basement door. Was she going crazy? Why did she feel like she was being watched? She could hear her own heartbeat thudding in her chest and she wondered if the house could hear it too and was feeding off of her fear.

As she came to the staircase leading to the basement even her lighter wasn't enough to illuminate all the way to the bottom. It was pure black. Descending the staircase felt like descending into hell. 

//

Unlike the last time the door was left unchained and cracked open an inch or so and the bed lay empty.

Zoe was instantly flooded with relief when she spotted Mia sitting on the floor in the far corner of the room, staring blankly at the wall, her knees pulled up to her chin. But her relief quickly vanished as she noticed how horrible Mia looked. Her face and arms were covered with dirt and her thin blouse had speckled red stains on it. Blood stains?

Zoe took a few slow steps forward.

"Mia," she said hesitantly.

No response. Mia continued to stare absently at the wall, unblinking.

If Mia was possessed this was dangerous territory, but what else did Zoe have to lose? She was already completely alone now. She took another couple of steps into the room and crouched down to Mia's level.

"Mia," she said again softly.

This time Mia looked at her, but it wasn't with her usual affectionate gaze. This time it was with fear.

"No," she croaked, flinching away from Zoe.

"Mia, it's me. I ain't gonna hurt ya."

"Please go away," Mia moaned and hid her face between her knees.

"Mia, please look at me."

"I don't want to see you ever again. I can't. I can't."

"What are you talking about?"

Mia didn't appear to be possessed, but she didn't seem completely stable either. Zoe kept her distance just to be safe.

Beneath the smudges of dirt, she noticed the small scratches and bruises that were peppered over Mia's arms. A large gash covered the inside of Mia's palm in a straight line, like it had been sliced open on something, and on her wrist were two strange looking watches, neither one displaying the time. 

"Tell me what happened, hon. What did she do to you?"

Mia raised her head, but she didn't meet Zoe's eyes. 

"You have to show your devotion. This is what she wanted." Mia held up her palm and looked at the long gash thoughtfully. She traced one finger over one of the line. "I was... bad. I had to be punished. I deserved this."

"No, no you don't deserve this."

"Bad mommies need to be punished."

Zoe sighed. "We need to get you outta here. Come on."

Zoe reached out to place an arm on Mia's shoulder, but when she did Mia looked up at Zoe as if she had just noticed she was there and cringed away from her touch.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled.

"Okay." Zoe instantly held up her hands in surrender, taking a step away from Mia, careful of any sudden movements that might set her off again. "Just come back with me please. I promise I won't touch you. Just come with me."

Whatever Eveline had done to her, she could tell that it had really messed Mia up and she wasn't sure that she could stand to know what happened.

Suddenly Mia's hazy expression changed like she was waking up from a dream. Her dark, terrified eyes met Zoe's. "You need to leave. She's coming. You need to leave. NOW! LEAVE!"

Mia pushed Zoe quickly through the cell door and slammed it shut between them. Zoe gripped the iron bars, trying to push it open again, but Mia gripped it from the other side, pushing her weight against the door to keep it closed.

"What the hell are you doing?" Zoe demanded. 

"Please, Zoe. Please just leave me. If she sees you... She's going to make me-" Mia stopped herself and shook her head, but Zoe had a pretty good guess as to how she was going to finish that sentence. "I saw it when she was in my head. Please Zoe. Just leave... I don't want to... But she'll make me if she sees you. I'm not worth it."

"'Course you are. I ain't leaving without you." Zoe placed her hand on Mia's through the bars without thinking of it, already breaking her promise. Luckily Mia didn't flinch away this time.

"If only you knew, Zoe."

"Enough of the cryptic bullshit!" She didn't mean to yell, but her patience was wearing thin. "Ain't none of that matters right now. We just need to get the hell outta here, you hear me?"

"Why are you so damn stubborn?"

"Because I care about you," Zoe said honestly. 

Mia shook her head again, apparently not pleased with her answer. "I'm a bad person, Zoe. And I think I knew that deep down. I was scared to remember. But she made me remember. So now we can be a family."

"You ain't a bad person. Eveline's just fucking with your head."

"No, I am."

"Well guess what? I don't care. I don't care what kinda person you were before all this. What matters is right now. Evie's already taken my family from me, and she's not taking you too. I ain't gonna let that happen. I ain't leaving you."

Mia's eye suddenly went wide as she stared at a spot behind Zoe. "She's here," she whispered. Her terrified eyes moved back to Zoe. "Run."

Zoe took a step away from the door, looking behind her, expecting to see Eveline, but there was no one. She turned back to Mia and froze. 

Mia's facial features were changing, darkening, becoming more monstrous. "LEAVE!" she yelled in a strained voice that hardly sounded like her own. For several long seconds Zoe stood paralyzed, too stunned to move.

"LEAVE!" Mia yelled again.

"No. Mia... please... Fight her," Zoe stuttered. "I won't leave you."

"I... can't."

"You can. I know you can. Fight her! Don't let her in!"

Suddenly, Mia threw open the cell door.

"Daddy's coming."

Oh god.

"What?" Zoe asked in horror.

Mia swiftly gripped Zoe's arms, the air in the room humming around them. She shoved Zoe forcefully away from her with more strength than Zoe knew she was capable of. Zoe stumbled backward onto the hard cement floor, landing on her tail bone and knocking the wind out of her. She gasped, barely able to catch her breath.

Through wheezing gulps of air, Zoe was only vaguely aware of Mia. She was standing several feet away, hands gripped in her hair, eyes closed. "Get out of my head!" she screamed to no one that Zoe could see.

The pain from the fall was quickly making its way up Zoe's back. After she finally regained her balance and started to slowly back away from Mia, who was still gripping her hair like she was ready to pull it out and now muttering to herself, she thumped into something sturdy behind her.

"Daddy's home. Are you ready for her gift?" She heard from behind her, then felt someone grab her by the hair and yank her backwards.

Zoe let out a startled scream and pulled away quickly, feeling pieces of her short dark hair being ripped from her head. She tried to make a run for it, but immediately lost her balance. She fell forward onto her bad arm and cried out in pain. She rolled over onto her back and saw him standing over her.

"You have to show your devotion to her." Jack grunted, trying to retrain Zoe. She saw the knife he was holding and started struggling even more, but it was useless. His grip on her was too strong. 

"Daddy... please... don't," She pleaded, her voice hoarse. She was already in so much pain.

Her words had no affect on him. He eagerly dug the knife into her palm and drew it across the skin until a large, bloody gash covered the length of her palm. Zoe gasped in pain as her vision started to blur. She saw only red.

The last thing Zoe clearly remembered was Mia coming quickly at the both of them. After that is was only flashes of consciousness. There was a thud, someone's body slumping to the floor. Shouting. Grunts of pain. Someone calling her name.

"Oh god, Zoe."

//

Mia sank to the floor of the trailer, exhausted. After half carrying/half dragging an unconscious Zoe back to the trailer, all of the energy she had been clinging to just crashed, bringing her down with it. She sat on the floor across from the bed, where Zoe lay, still unconscious.

As exhausted as she was, Mia fought against sleep. She had to stay awake and keep watch. She had to keep Zoe safe. Even from herself. After all, she could still be a danger to her. If Evie got back into her head again...

Mia sucked in a breath. _Here. Now. Not in the cell. Evie's not in your head._

But what if she was? Somewhere in the back of her head, spying on every little thought Mia had, waiting until she was vulnerable again before clawing her way back into Mia's soul.

Just when Mia was either on the verge of falling asleep or going insane she saw Zoe's eyes flutter open. 

Mia breathed out a sigh of relief. She wanted to say something, anything, but her words failed her. What was she going to say? _Sorry I tried to kill you just a little bit ago? Sorry your dad tried to kill you too?_

"Hi," Mia finally said quietly.

Zoe remained silent. Her eyes were wide, frightened. She was probably afraid that Mia might attack her again, and Mia couldn't really blame her.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Mia reassured her.

Zoe only stared at her. Mia could see the mental clock's ticking behind Zoe's eyes, working hard to process what had just happened not even an hour ago.

"How do you feel?" Mia asked. It was a stupid question.

Zoe shook her head and let out a long sigh. "What the fuck just happened?" She tried sitting up, but winced and immediately gave up.

"I'm so sorry I... I hurt you, didn't I?"

"It was Eveline, not you." Her voice was harsh, full of hatred. "She made you... and my daddy..." She now looked on the verge of tears. "Was he actually going to kill me? I thought maybe... somewhere deep down he might know what was happening. He might know that he was hurting me and would stop... but he didn't." She looked down at the gash on her palm with disgust. Mia had done her best to clean it up while Zoe was passed out, but it still looked pretty bad.

"Zoe..." Mia started, not knowing what else to say. She would never stop apologizing to this girl.

"But you did. Why you and not him? What happened? How did you stop him and save me?" Her voice was contorted and Mia couldn't tell if is was from anger or pain or both. 

So many questions to which Mia didn't really have an answer for. She really didn't know how she was able to come back to herself.

"When she's in your head, your soul, your whole being, it's difficult to see through her world to the real world." Explaining this was like trying to explain the nothingness of when you were asleep or passed out or before you were even alive. It just didn't make sense when spoken aloud. "It's a little more complicated than just wanting to stop and taking back control of your body. I was drifting in between for a little bit, sometimes I would come back to myself, but only for maybe a few minutes at a time. But just a little bit ago, I don't know what happened, I really don't understand it myself. I'm sorry, but I had to knock your father out. He should be fine when he wakes up."

Zoe shook her head slowly, just staring at Mia in disbelief, and then, without warning, she started sobbing. Sobbing like Mia had never seen. And she felt herself breaking on the inside. This was the first time she had seen Zoe cry. _Really_ cry. What a cruel world it was to have to watch someone you cared about suffer so horribly and know that there was nothing you could do to stop it. She would give anything, _anything_ , to take away Zoe's pain. She wished somehow it could be Jack who was here with her, father and daughter reunited to the happy family that they once were, and not herself. Why was she here, free of Eveline's mind prison, but the others were still under her control? She didn't deserve it.

Mia didn't know what else to do so she crawled up into the bed with Zoe and carefully pulled her into her arms, trying to avoid moving her too much and causing her any extra discomfort. She was expecting Zoe to retaliate, but the younger woman only held her tighter and buried her face in Mia's hair.

It was too much. Mia never wanted to see Zoe hurting like this ever again. She didn't know if she would be able to take it.

Eventually, after a long while, Zoe stopped crying.

"Can we just sleep please?" Zoe asked in barely a whisper. "I'm tired. So fucking tired."

"Of course," Mia said. They could talk in the morning. She wasn't exactly looking forward to reliving everything she had been through, but Zoe had to know. Throughout this entire experience they had been each other's strength and stability. Zoe deserved to know the truth about what kind of person she really was.

Zoe slowly turned to face away from Mia, but kept Mia's arm slung over her side, lacing their fingers together, so that Mia was spooned up behind her. She could still feel Zoe's body shaking slightly from her earlier sobs and pulled her in a little closer.

If they did somehow wind up out of this whole thing alive they were probably going to be fucked up for life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the chapter should be up sometime in the next few days.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Part 2/2)  
> Mia tells Zoe what she remembers.

Mia woke to the smell of coffee. She had actually managed to sleep through the night and well into the next day. As soon as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and slowly took in the familiar surroundings of Zoe's cluttered trailer she was instantly flooded with relief.

"Hey, you," Zoe said, walking over to the bed carrying two mugs of coffee. It was hard to miss the red, puffiness of Zoe's eyes, but for now Mia decided not to comment on it. Zoe handed a mug to Mia, who took it gratefully. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good, actually," Mia replied, taking a long sip before nearly choking on it and instantly spitting the coffee back out into the mug.

Zoe chuckled and took a sip from her own mug. "Sorry, we're all out of dry creamer... and sugar, so I hope you like it black."

Since Zoe was acting like last night didn't happen, Mia decided to go with it, for a little longer at least. They had a lot to discuss, but right now Mia was just grateful to be back with Zoe and not in that fucking cell again. Here she felt... safe. Zoe made her feel safe.

"I just wasn't expecting that." Mia took a smaller drink this time, forcing it down carefully. It was extremely bitter; she wasn't used to black coffee, but it helped to waken her senses.

Zoe took a seat next to Mia on the edge of the bed, sitting close enough that their knees brushed against each other. "And for breakfast we've got some stale crackers." She opened up a package and handed a handful of crackers to Mia. "If you close your eyes and concentrate real hard it almost tastes like eggs and bacon." Zoe popped one in her mouth and made a face while chewing. "Almost. It's too bad we don't have us some real ingredients. I could make us somethin' real nice. Maybe some biscuits and sausage gravy... Or buttermilk pancakes. Breakfasts are my specialty."

"Ugh, stop talking about food," Mia said before taking a bite of stale cracker. Her stomach growled. She should have been used to being hungry all the time by now, but still the thought of a real home-cooked meal and not the malnutritious canned or stale food they had been eating was enough to drive her a little crazy with hunger pangs.

"How do you feel?" Zoe asked, her voice serious now. She reached out, brushing Mia's hair back from her shoulder and placed her hand there, leaning forward a little until Mia instantly recognized Zoe's scent - the familiar lavender and fabric softener, a scent she had since grown quite fond of. It made her feel at home, which was absurd considering the situation they were in.

"I'm okay. I slept pretty good actually."

"I didn't wake up to any screamin' last night so I took that as a good sign."

Mia tried to ignore the slight pang of guilt she felt at constantly waking Zoe with her nightmares. "Surprisingly, I don't think I dreamed at all. It was a peaceful night for once."

"Good. You deserved it."

"And what about you?" Mia asked carefully. 

"I did doze off for a bit. Thank you for, well, for bein' there for me last night."

"Of course," Mia said. "Are you..."

"I'll be okay," Zoe replied with finality, taking her hand away from Mia's shoulder. 

"Alright." Mia nodded slowly, then her eyes widened in horror as she noticed the large purple bruises spread across Zoe's forearm to elbow. "Oh my god, Zoe, your arm! Did I do that to you?"

"Huh?" Zoe asked, then looked down at her arm like she didn't even notice. "Oh, no way. I had a bit of a rough landing in from the attic. So much for my daring rescue, huh? And you actually wound up saving my ass this time."

"Luckily," Mia said. And indeed she was lucky that somehow she was able to escape Evie's mental hold on her. If she hadn't... well, Zoe would most likely be dead right now.

"You did hurt my backside though." Zoe said. "Knocked the fuckin' wind outta me. Left me in shock. I'll probably be sore for a while."

Mia hung her head in shame. "Shit. I'm so sorry. You know I would never ever-"

"I know." Zoe cut her off, raising a hand.

Mia looked up again and saw the angry red gash on Zoe's palm. It was already scabbed over and matched her own. "And your palm..." Mia pointed to Zoe's raised hand.

Zoe turned it over, looking at the mark thoughtfully. "Guess we match." She shrugged like it was no big deal to be in such a battered and bruised state and Mia felt another wave of guilt take hold of her. 

"How romantic," Mia replied dryly, holding up her own palm to reveal her identical scar.

Zoe took Mia's hand into her own, carefully tracing a finger over the gash which left Mia's skin feeling slightly tingly. Before Mia had much time to react Zoe then brought Mia's palm to her lips where she softly placed a kiss right over the horrible gash mark, taking Mia a little by surprise. Why was Zoe always so gentle and caring with her? 

"I reckon we're gonna have some pretty bad ass scars when this is all over," Zoe said, smiling softly. 

"Yeah, I reckon," Mia said, still a bit flustered. Reluctantly, she pulled her hand away from Zoe's. 

Zoe let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "Shit, we can't keep going on like this. This is fucked, but I'm glad you're okay. I was pretty scared that she had gotten to ya."

Mia looked down. They were already coming to it. "She did though."

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just glad you're still you right now. Last night you said some things when you were... Well I'm not sure if you were possessed or just confused or what. But I didn't understand some of the things you said. I know this may be hard to have to relive, but what happened? What did Eveline do to you?"

Mia was quiet for a long moment before she finally spoke. She could only imagine the amount of questions whirring through Zoe's head right now, but the open wounds Eveline had left Mia with were still so fresh. She didn't have a choice though, she had to tell Zoe everything. 

"You know the nightmares I've been having?" Mia started.

Zoe nodded. 

"Well some of them weren't really nightmares. They were real events that had actually happened. I just didn't understand them before Evie let me, when she got into my head. I don't know if they were nightmares or hallucinations or what they were," Mia said. "But Evie... showed me things."

"So... you're saying she was the one causing your nightmares?"

Mia nodded. "Yeah, I guess so, but they weren't just nightmares. They were memories."

Mia continued. "You know when things that happen in real life that will trigger memories of a forgotten dream? Well, it was basically the opposite for me. The dreams triggered memories of what actually happened."

"You've been dreaming of what happened this whole time? So you remember everything?" Zoe asked, a little hint of hope in her tone.

"Not... all of it. Bits and pieces. Among other horrible things that I don't really want to relive right now. And it wasn't until I wound up back down in that cell and Eveline was in my head, really in my head, and showed me what she did that the pieces of the puzzle finally came together. Mostly."

"How can you be sure, though? What if Eveline's just fucking with you?" Zoe asked, like she wasn't quite sure she believed what she was hearing.

"I don't think she is. It's so hard to explain, but since Evie was in my head I could... hear her thoughts I guess. About the ship crash and what happened before. At first I didn't quite understand it, I wanted to be sure that I understood what had happened. And I'm pretty sure."

"But why would she show you this?" Zoe challenged. "You would think she wouldn't want you to remember..."

"She only let me remember certain things. It's like when you wake up from a dream and you're trying to remember what just happened, but not everything is clear. Some of it's still fuzzy and different pieces come back at different times. Maybe she didn't realize that's what she was doing. Or maybe I just remembered on my own. I don't know."

"So what do you remember?"

Now the hard part.

"There's really no other way to explain this other than to be straightforward..." Mia said, looking down at the coffee mug that she clutched tightly between her hands. "I work as a researcher for The Connections, an international criminal organization that specializes in producing bio-weapons for the black market."

Mia paused, chancing a quick glance at Zoe, who remained silent, her wide, blue eyes studying Mia's face intently, causing Mia's stomach to tighten in nervous little knots.

She cleared her throat before speaking again. "I guess I'll start from the beginning... When I was twenty-five I had a lot of student debt, and I struggled for a long time to find a decent job after college. I worked as a waitress for a couple years, then as a bartender, which I really don't recommend." She shuddered at the memories of being constantly harassed by drunken men as she mixed drinks. "I was young, stupid, and barely getting by... So a friend of a friend managed to get me an interview for this job with The Connections. It seemed sketchy, but it would definitely pay the rent, and more so."

Still, no response from Zoe, so Mia continued, her heart beating faster the longer she spoke. "For a couple of years I handled the organization's data. Then, after Ethan and I got married I took a promotion, became Special Agent Winters, and with it, a new project. We weren't married long before Ethan lost his job and was unemployed for several months. We needed the extra money."

"So the new project was of course the creation of E dash zero zero one. Or Eveline as we would come to call her. A weaponized child that produced mind control abilities. And I..." She took a shuddering breath. "I never expected it would go this far. I didn't even know if the project would succeed when I took the promotion. We had many failures before Eveline. There were... certain threats from another organization that we were trying to avoid with Eveline. So Allen and I were assigned to pose as her parents and transport her to another branch."

Her hands were shaking now.

"What Evie wants is a family. She thinks I'm her mother. And if I don't respond as her maternal figure she gets angry. Which, obviously you know by now that it's not a good thing to make her angry. Allen, a colleague of mine, was posing as her father. Until she killed him out of anger. And now I guess she's looking to extend her family."

"Guess that explains why I'm suddenly her sister." It was the first time Zoe had spoken since Mia began her speech. She didn't sound angry. 

"And there's something else you have to know," Mia continued. "Our bodies are contaminated with this virus that Eveline's infected us with. If we try and leave the property, leave Eveline, without properly curing ourselves... We'll die."

"Well I can't say I'm surprised," Zoe said. Again, she didn't sound angry; her voice was surprisingly calm as she spoke. "So, about the serum? We can cure ourselves and then leave?"

"Like I said there are some missing pieces to all of this. The serum in particular being one of them. Evie wouldn't let me remember it."

Zoe sighed, muttering under her breath, " _Of fucking course_."

"But I do know that there is a way to craft a serum. It requires certain ingredients of course, which I don't remember, or maybe I just never knew. I don't know, but this is a huge stepping stone for us. At least I remember some things now. I have to hope that the rest will come back to me soon."

Zoe frowned, taking a moment to process that. "What are these?" She asked pointing to the two black watches on Mia's wrist.

Mia carefully unlatched one from around her wrist and placed it on Zoe's wrist, buckling it tightly. "It's called a codex."

"A codex?" Zoe asked, holding up her arm and studying the watch like she had never seen such a strange device in her life. 

"Yes, try not to lose it. These are important. If we ever get separated again we can communicate using these. It's basically just a smartphone in watch form. Pretty standard. We can makes calls to each other."

"Special agent tech?" Zoe asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mia nodded. "They were specifically made for me and my colleague to use during special assignments."

"You really are a secret agent?" Zoe asked in disbelief. " _Shit_."

Mia turned her body so that she was completely face to face with Zoe. She willingly met Zoe's eyes. "Zoe, I want you to understand that I'm not a very good person. I lied to Ethan, my own husband, he didn't even know I had this job. He thought this was just a babysitting gig. You helped me, and I don't even fucking deserve it. I'm a big part of the reason why we're in this situation. It's my fault that you and your family are infected. I'm so sorry, Zoe. You have every right to hate me. But just know that whatever happens, I never meant for any of this to happen. I never meant for anyone to get hurt like this, I swear to you."

Zoe held her gaze for a few silent moments. Her expression was difficult to read. Mia couldn't tell if it was anger or confusion, or a mix of the two.

Mia had expected Zoe to react at least somewhat angrily, instead when she spoke her voice was calm and quiet. "It sounds like you were just a desperate college grad trying to get by. Can't say I would do the same, but..." She paused, shaking her head. "Shit, I don't even know what to say. You're some sort of secret agent... It's a lot to wrap my head around." Zoe put her head in her hands, rubbing her temples. She closed her eyes and let out a long, tired sigh, muttering, "Fuck, someone get me a cigarette..." A long moment of silence stretched out between them before she spoke again. "I don't hate you by the way. Prolly should, but for some reason I don't... You told me the truth, so I guess that counts for somethin'."

"Zoe, you don't have to pretend to-"

Zoe quickly cut her off. "I ain't pretendin'. You fucked up that's for sure. We all fuck up... I just...." She sighed again. "I'm gonna need some time to wrap my head around this. It's a helluva lot to take in right now. My head's spinnin' too fast."

"I understand." Mia answered quietly. She was honestly shocked that Zoe wasn't immediately kicking her to the curb.

"And if it weren't you," Zoe said. "It'd be someone else here with Eveline. Maybe someone a little less friendly and more on the aggressive side. So I'm glad it's you and not..." She didn't finish her sentence. "Could be worse... Could be a lot worse I reckon."

Mia shook her head in disbelief. "Sometimes I don't understand you. How are you not angry with me right now?"

"I ain't sayin' I'm not, I just... Oh hell, I don't know what to think right now."

Mia sighed. She could only imagine what could possibly be going through Zoe's head right now. "You deserve to know the truth, Zoe. I just wanted you to know..." It was strange how she could so easily lie to her own husband, who she had known for years now, but she couldn't bring herself to hide the truth from this girl she had known for a much shorten period of time. 

"Just... give me some time." Zoe held up a hand, suddenly standing up from the bed. "I'm gonna go for a walk. I just need to alone for a bit and clear my head. I won't be long. And I've got this now if you need to get a hold of me." She gestured to the watch that now rested on her wrist.

"Uh okay," Mia said quietly. It probably wasn't the best idea for Zoe to wander the property alone after what they had just been through, but it was the least that Mia could do to allow Zoe some time alone to process everything.

Zoe picked up her shotgun from the kitchenette table, the slam of the door echoing in her absence.

"Be careful," Mia said to the silence of the empty room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've made it this far, please let me know what you think.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mutual pining and ship exploring.

It was one of those long nights again. Mia was too frustrated to sleep.

The nightmares had miraculously stopped, but in it's place was something completely different. Something she wasn't used to just yet.

It was one of those nights where certain thoughts would creep into her head. Thoughts that involved Zoe. About what it would be like if Zoe had rolled over on the bed until she was on top of Mia, what the weight of her body would feel like on top of hers, skin to skin. Zoe would smile warmly down at her before bringing her lips to Mia's. At first the kiss would be soft and sweet, chaste, but Mia couldn't help herself, she deepened the kiss, opening her mouth and letting Zoe in, letting her take dominance with her tongue.

After a while Zoe's kisses would grow gentle again as she would trail a path down Mia's neck and chest, taking her time to pay special attention to her breasts, which were highly sensitive, causing Mia to shudder in anticipation. Zoe knew what Mia wanted, what she really wanted, but she liked taking her time, furthering the arousal churning in Mia's stomach. Eventually Zoe would slowly begin to work her way down Mia's body once again. Kissing her lower and lower and lower until Mia could feel Zoe's hot breath against her bare thighs...

That's usually the point where she let the fantasy come to an end. If she let things go too far... Well, the urge to touch herself was already overwhelming enough, and she didn't think it would be right with Zoe sleeping innocently next to her. But as much as she wanted it, practically _needed_ it, she couldn't bring herself to do it. It felt wrong, almost as if she would be using Zoe in some way. She couldn't do it. She respected Zoe way too much.

She wondered if maybe Zoe thought about her this way too sometimes. Mia wasn't blind, she saw the way Zoe's heavy gaze sometimes lingered on her for just a little too long, or the way her cheeks would flush whenever Mia would get dressed in the trailer and Zoe would stutter out some excuse to go outside. She was just too damn cute...

God, Mia had never had such thoughts about another woman in her life before. Not like _this_. This was completely foreign territory to her.

Sometimes she felt as if she was going crazy, but she had to admit that she liked it a little bit. The fantasies kept her sane, somehow. It had been about eight months now since she arrived here, so going on a year since she had experienced any kind of intimacy. It was only natural that she would develop feelings for Zoe after being lonely for this long, right?

But then she would think about Ethan and what a horrible person she was to fantasize about someone else while she was still married. Well, was she even still married? Technically, yes, but what if Ethan had moved on? By now he most likely assumed that she was dead and honestly she couldn't really blame him if he had decided to be with someone else. He was a good guy. He deserved to be happy.

And so was she. She was only human. These were just basic human needs, right?

She told herself that as she let out a frustrated groan and rolled over on her side of the bed, her whole body flushed, burying her head under the pillow.

//

"Mia?"

"Mia?"

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Huh?" Mia looked up, but her eyes were still slightly unfocused, like she was somewhere else. It was hard to tell in the dark, but it almost looked like she was blushing.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Zoe asked for the third time.

"Oh, yeah I guess. It _was_ my idea. I just don't know how safe it is. If Evie spots us... I'm just hoping that if I return to the ship maybe the familiarity of it will jolt my brain into remembering more. I feel like we're so close to a solution for the serum. It's just right out of reach. I need more answers."

They were currently making their way through the old boat house docks, on their way to the wrecked ship in the bayou. They were running out of options for survival and Mia insisted that they go tonight. Zoe had reluctantly agreed. It wasn't the smartest idea, but it didn't seem likely that Eveline would grow bored any time soon and just hand them the serum. It was ridiculous how their whole lives revolved around that damn serum.

Zoe breathed in the warm summer night. It was a nice night, not too humid, with the gentle sound of the critters buzzing through the night and a soft glow illuminated by fireflies. Summer nights were always Zoe's favorite. It would have almost been peaceful, even romantic, just a nice walk along the docks, if it hadn't been for the fact that at any moment they could be taken by surprise by Eveline.

"Be careful, some of these floor boards are loose," Zoe said, taking Mia's hand and helping her cross over a pretty big gap in between floor boards of the dock.

"We'll just see how this goes," Zoe said once Mia had successfully gotten across. "We didn't have much luck the last time."

Being intercepted by Eveline was a strong possibility again. But at least they had actually made it to the docks this time without much trouble. This time they had run into a few of the molded, but unlike the last time Zoe was able to witness first hand just how capable Mia actually was with the handgun she had given her. The secret agent training was definitely no lie, Mia was proving to be quite the sharp shooter and had taken the molded creatures out quickly and effortlessly.

As if Zoe needed another reason to find Mia even more attractive...

"We don't have a choice anymore," Mia said. 

"I know."

Zoe could see the fatigue on Mia's face, gradually getting more and more prominent over the last few months. How much longer could they actually live like this? She was really starting to miss her family. It was becoming unbearable at this point, so long now, almost a whole fucking year since this whole mess started. She couldn't believe how time had just carelessly slipped by. Sometimes it really didn't seem like that long at all, but at the same time it felt like several years since she had last seen her family normal. She never thought it would have gone on for this long, but every time they tried to make a move towards finding the serum, or some sort of escape they were always intercepted, and always driven back to the safety of Zoe's trailer. It really was a never-ending cycle and it was starting to drive Zoe crazy. The depression of it all was starting to get to her. She just wished she had something to keep her going. Surviving this place really wasn't enough anymore. She was starting to lose hope that they would ever make it out of this nightmare, and when you lose hope, you're pretty much dead.

Mia was the only thing left keeping her sane. It was wrong, she knew, but she really wished she could be closer to Mia on a more intimate level. Of course she wasn't stupid enough to try to make a move on Mia. For one thing, the fucked up situation they were in, and another, she didn't know if she would be able to handle Mia's reaction. Zoe knew from experience that just because Mia was accepting of Zoe's sexuality didn't mean she would be comfortable being on the receiving end of it. So she figured it best to keep her feelings to herself.

_Don't ever fall for a straight woman again_ , she told herself. _Especially a married one, dumbass._

"Here it is," Zoe said as they finally came to the end of the dock and found the small boat waiting for them that would lead them to what she really hoped would be some sort of solution.

//

"Damn this thing is huge," Zoe said in awe, taking in the sight of the wreckage that was the ship. She slowed the engine of the little boat as they got closer. "How has no one come lookin' for this thing?"

"I honestly don't know," Mia responded from the seat across from her. "This goes against all protocol that I remember. Unless they just assumed that no one would find it out here since, well, we're kind of in the middle of nowhere."

Zoe gave a small laugh. "It's kinda hard to miss though."

"I just work... worked for them. Doing their dirty deeds while being kept in the dark about why or how I was doing them. Don't expect me to know all the ins and outs of their operation. They were pretty secretive about a lot of things."

"Sounds like any corporation."

Mia laughed dryly. "Yeah, and apparently I was completely disposable since they didn't even bother to send anyone to try to locate me."

"You're better off without 'em. You don't belong at a place like that."

Mia looked like she might say something, but apparently thought better of it and looked away toward the ship.

"Here she is," she said as the boat came to a slow stop and the engine died. "Annabelle. Just like I remember... just like in my nightmares."

"Are you sure you're okay to be back here?"

"We need that serum, Zo. I need to get your family back for you so we can all get out of here."

Zoe nodded. "Lead the way then."

Mia leaped off the boat with a splash into the muddy swamp water, Zoe following soon after. The water was shallow, only coming up to her waist, but damn was it cold, even for such a warm night.

"Um, we're not going to run into any alligators or anything out here, are we?" Mia asked nervously, slowing trudging toward the ship, pushing past bits of ship debris that were floating in the water.

"It's possible, gators show up every once and a while, but we've got others to worry about too. Just stay alert. You'll protect us, right Agent Winters?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood a little, but it didn't relax her in the least bit. It was a little weird getting used to the idea that Mia was a secret agent, and yet, from the beginning of all of this she had somehow expected that it would be something along those lines.

Zoe gripped her gun a little tighter and tried to keep her composure calm. She had seen the ship only once before, not counting the other time that Mia and Zoe had tried to make it here. It was the first day Eveline arrived, during the middle of a pretty severe hurricane. She had gone out with daddy to see what all the ruckus was, but only kept a safe distance, daddy wouldn't let her get too close. 

Now, up close to the dark and gloomy monster of a ship, walking into lord only knows what, she felt herself growing more and more tense. What would they find here?

Eventually they came to a spot of muddy terrain and were able to get out of the water. It took Zoe a minute to realize that it wasn't mud covering the ground, but...

"Black mold?" she asked Mia.

Mia nodded. "This is where she started infecting people with her so called gift. The whole crew... gone."

Mia pointed to an area of debris. "This way. We'll need to be careful. I'm pretty sure the ship broke apart into different pieces during the explosion so it might not be an easy trip."

After a while of climbing around broken structures, and side-stepping around large pits of mold, they finally found a stairwell that led them to the inside of the ship. 

They wound up in a long and narrow hallway, so dark that Zoe couldn't see where it ended. It was eerily silent.

"This doesn't feel right," Zoe whispered. "This doesn't feel right at all."

Zoe could hear Mia's uneven breathing next to her. "We should keep going," she said finally, but her voice wasn't very convincing.

Despite every instinct screaming at her to go back, to get the hell out of here, Zoe followed Mia. She felt the muscles in her body tighten, waiting for the inevitable to strike. Their footsteps sounded like gun shots going off in the silent ship. If there was anyone or anything still lurking in this place they would immediately be aware of their presence. Mia had taken her flash light out of her backpack so at least they could actually see, but honestly, Zoe wasn't sure she wanted to see what was crawling in this place. The flashlight revealed walls that were coated in filth and overgrown with more large patches of black mold, even more than what covered her own house.

"What exactly are you expecting to find in here?" Zoe asked.

"I don't know," Mia answered, continuing on until they wound up at another staircase. "I'm just trying to get your family back for you," she said for the second time that night.

//

Eventually, after wondering the maze-like halls for quite some time, they found themselves in small a storage room off one of the main halls. It would have looked like any normal room if not for the mold and the message that was written on the wall in large red ink. "SHE'S NOT MY CHILD" it read.

"Did you write that?" Zoe asked in horror upon seeing the message.

Mia stared at the writing, unblinking. "I-I don't know. I don't remember."

Zoe expected Mia to move on, but she didn't, and after a few minutes of her not moving and just staring at the wall, Zoe was beginning to grow concerned.

"Are you alright?" Zoe asked.

When Mia didn't respond, Zoe placed a hand on Mia's shoulder, which was icy cold to the touch. Zoe quickly pulled back her hand in shock.

"Mia, you're freezing!"

When Mia finally turned to face Zoe again, she had a steady stream of blood dripping from her nose.

Zoe gasped softly. "Mia, I think we need to leave. _Now_."

Mia responded as if she hadn't even heard Zoe speaking, like she was talking to someone Zoe couldn't see. "Yes this is... this is it."

And then, without warning, her eyes suddenly rolled back into her head and she collapsed to the floor.

"Mia!" Zoe screamed, quickly rushing over to her, dropping to her knees and pulling Mia's crumpled body into her arms. She sat Mia upright, carefully supporting her head with one hand so that she wouldn't tip backward and choke on any blood.

" _Shit._ " Zoe muttered, brushing Mia's hair out of her face and wiping the blood from her nose with her sleeve. "Mia, come on, stay with me."

Was she going to become possessed again? ... Or worse? Her body was so cold.

"Mia!" Zoe gently patted Mia's face, trying to wake her. When she gave no sign of movement Zoe frantically reached around for her backpack, quickly unzipping it and pulling out a bottle of water. Carefully, she she poured a couple of small flows of water over Mia's face.

"Please," she whispered. "Please."

Minutes passed and Mia hadn't given any signs of returning to consciousness. A few more minutes passed. Still nothing. 

When Zoe was beginning to give up hope that Mia would wake again, and that she was going to have to try to drag Mia out of here, Zoe felt Mia's body give a few small twitches before she coughed twice and her eyes fluttered open.

"Crist!" Zoe let out a long sigh of relief, pulling Mia tightly to her chest. "Don't ever do that to me again!" After realizing that she had barely given Mia any time to recover she pulled away, giving Mia some breathing room.

"What happened?" Mia asked after she pulled back from Zoe's embrace. Her voice was hoarse. 

"You fainted." Zoe handed her the water bottle. 

"I think I overheated or something." Mia slowly sat forward, rubbing her temple and wincing before taking a drink of the water.

"You're freezin' cold, hon. There's no way you overheated. You're shiverin'. And your nose is bleeding. We're leavin'. This place has bad vibes all over it. I don't care what we might find, you ain't stayin' here like this."

"I'm fine," Mia said, wiping her hand under her nose. "I saw... I saw something though."

Zoe frowned. "What did you see?"

"I saw... Evie. She's..."

"She's what?"

"I think she's getting weaker... somehow..."

"What do you mean?"

"She's deteriorating."

"I don't understand."

"This is a good thing."

"Can we kill her if she's weak?"

Mia slowly shook her head. "We can only kill her with the serum... yes, the serum."

"The serum will cure us and kill her?" Zoe asked suspiciously. 

"Yes."

Zoe considered that for a moment. "I don't know about this. What if this is Eveline's doing because she doesn't want you here?"

"No, she was in my head again."

"What?" Zoe glanced around the room, like she expected Eveline to be there, waiting for them.

"And I saw it. Her body is deteriorating." 

"But why? How?"

Mia thought for a moment before she spoke, like she was waiting for the memory to come back. "Evie isn't a normal little girl, obviously. She was created, and artificially aged up to appear as a ten-year old. But the artificial aging is still happening at twenty-five times the normal human rate. And without treatment..."

"But she still looks young," Zoe pointed out.

"You're only seeing what she wants you to see."

Zoe bit her lip, thinking. She was trying to wrap her head around this whole idea. "Okay, so she's agin' pretty quickly then. Will she die of old age?"

"I'm not sure."

"We can only hope I guess," Zoe muttered.

If Eveline really was getting weaker, then maybe they did have a chance. A real chance. They would just have to keep surviving until then.

"Come on," Zoe said, helping Mia back to her feet. "Let's get the hell outta here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've made it this far, please let me know what you think.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoe and Mia play a drinking game.

"I want to get drunk tonight. Just this once."

Zoe sat up in surprise at the words Mia had just spoken. She had been sprawled out across her bed, staring up at the ceiling, the trailer too hot and stuffy for her to fall asleep. Mia, meanwhile, was rummaging through the kitchen cupboards. Zoe had just assumed that she was looking for a midnight snack, but apparently she had something else in mind.

Zoe shook her head. "Ain't a good idea."

"Come on, Zo, just for one night? We'll be super careful. We'll make sure the door is locked and secured. Please drink with me tonight?" Mia asked, holding up a bottle of Jack Baker's vodka that they had managed to find on one of their routine searches through the house. On Mia's request, Zoe took the bottle, vouching to save it for a special occasion when they were sure they would be safe to drink it. "After everything we've been through we deserve a little fun, right?" 

"Do you really believe it's a good idea for us to let our guards down like that? We gotta keep a clear head."

"Things have been pretty quiet lately. I'd say we're not going to have a better opportunity than right now."

It was true that things had relaxed a little around the property since they had found out that Eveline had begun deteriorating, something Zoe still wasn't quite sure she understood fully. But with Evie weakened, or whatever she was, it had appeared that her family, as well as the molded, weren't so bold anymore. The two women were now free to catch their breaths, for a little while at the very least. Still, Zoe didn't like taking unnecessary risks, just in case. 

"I haven't had a drink in almost a year," Mia whined, coming to sit down next to Zoe on the bed.

"I know, hon, but I'm only concerned about our safety." Her pulse picked up a bit at Mia's sudden closeness. It was silly that nearly a year of being confined with Mia, in her presence all the time, and she still found herself getting flustered when Mia got too close. 

"I think we'll be okay," Mia said reasonably. "I just want to forget for one night that we're stuck here. I just want to pretend that things are normal for once. We can make it fun. We'll play a game."

"What drinking game can we play with only two people?"

Mia thought for a moment. "Never have I ever."

"I thought you were supposed to play that with a group of people," Zoe pointed out.

"We can play with just the two of us. Please, Zoe. For me." She pouted, gazing up at Zoe longingly through her eyelashes.

_God dammit._

"Is that how you always get your way? A little pout and a flutter of the eyelashes?"

A hint of a smile played on Mia's lips. "Maybe."

"That's a little unfair, don't you reckon?" Zoe teased, then sighed in defeat. "You're just too irresistible."

A full grin lit up Mia's face, which caused Zoe to melt a little on the inside. 

"Fine, fine. I wouldn't mind a drink myself."

Mia rushed back over to the kitchen and grabbed two small glasses from the cupboard and poured out a half glass in each one. She handed one to Zoe before sitting down on the bed across from her. She still had a grin on her face and Zoe could practically feel the excitement radiating from her. It was a little sad that something as simple as a drinking game could cause her this much happiness. Mia was right, they did need to experience a little fun now and again, even in a situation like this. For Zoe, seeing Mia smile like this was rewarding enough on its own.

"So you know the rules of the game, right? One person says something they haven't done and the other will drink if they have done it." Zoe nodded. "Okay to start I'll go easy on you," Mia promised. "Never have I ever..."

"Played a stupid game like this," Zoe finished for her, grinning.

"Seriously?" Mia asked, rolling her eyes and then taking a drink, but she looked pleased that Zoe was somewhat playing along with the rules of the game.

"Okay," Mia said after taking a drink. "This one's easy. Never have I ever gotten a tattoo."

Zoe didn't drink.

"See? Easy. I know how you are with needles." Mia gave her a sympathetic smile.

"You don't got any hidden tattoos then?" Zoe asked.

Mia shook her head. "None. I almost did once though. My first year of college. I was drunk and a couple of my friends were giving each other tattoos." Mia laughed at the memory. "I almost got a tramp stamp. Thank god I chickened out at the last minute."

Zoe raised her eyebrows in surprise and took a drink, trying to ignore the burn of her throat as she did so. She usually didn't drink harder stuff straight like this. Maybe a glass of wine or two, but this was a little more than she was used to. It was all they could find though. Jack liked it because he claimed it didn't give him a hangover the next day. She would find out tomorrow morning if he was telling the truth.

"Wow, a tramp stamp, huh?" she asked, trying to picture it. All sorts of images were floating through her head about what kind of tramp stamp Mia would have gotten, and even if Mia was the type to wear low rise jeans with it to show it off. This was already starting off to be an interesting game...

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Damn, the alcohol was already starting to get to her, and drinking while in the vicinity of her crush was proving to be not such a good idea.

Mia just smiled and took a drink, even though it wasn't part of the game. "It was the early 2000's. It was a weird time."

Zoe laughed. "Yeah, I remember. But still, tramp stamps are kind of hot. In a milf-y sort of way."

Mia snorted, then chuckled. "Are you trying to tell me that a MILF is your type of woman?"

Zoe blushed, looking down at her glass. "What? No, I'm not...I'm just sayin'... Damnit, I don't know what I'm sayin'."

Zoe could hear the smile in Mia's voice. "Relax, I'm just teasing you. But I'm curious now, what _is_ your type of woman?"

Shit.

She looked up again and her eyes locked with Mia's.

_Hmm, let's see? Dark hair, dark eyes, the secret agent type. Has saved my ass more times than I can count. Likes to ask personal questions during the most inopportune moments._

Zoe shook her head. "Uh-uh. That's not a part of the game." She took another drink, hoping Mia couldn't see her blushing again in the dimly lit room. It would have been fully dark except for the twinkling Christmas lights Zoe had strung up throughout the place as decoration. 

Mia's grin was flirty. "Well now you've really got me curious."

Zoe looked down at her glass again, but she couldn't help but smile back.

Mia cleared her throat. "Alright, next. Never have I ever... done yoga before."

Zoe looked up again to find Mia side-eyeing the couple of yoga mats Zoe had rolled up in the corner of the room that were now collecting dust. Zoe hadn't touched those mats in over a year.

She took a drink.

"I think it's about time you showed me how this yoga thing is done. Of course I can't help but notice those mats you've got over there."

"I ain't much of a yoga expert," Zoe admitted. 

"I'm genuinely curious what all the fuss is about. It's become quite the fad lately. I don't get it. Is it stretching? Meditating? Or a combination of the two?"

"Yeah it's a little of both I guess. I didn't go to a class or nothin'. Classes are way overpriced. Just practiced some simple positions here at home. You can find easy ones on YouTube. I mainly did it to focus on my breathing and try to let go of any tension I was holding in my body. It can be very freeing and peaceful. I always have so much going on in my head, but when I'm practicing and focused my mind goes silent."

"Will you show me some positions?"

Zoe nearly did a spit-take at Mia's choice of words. "You're kidding."

"I'm not kidding."

"I ain't sure yoga would benefit us right now. You've gotta be in the right mind set. And I don't reckon the alcohol is helping much. Maybe some other time." The familiar fuzziness Zoe experienced while drinking was starting to cloud her head.

"Fine..." Mia appeared to be considering her next question carefully. "Never have I ever... been with another woman. Sexually."

Well, that was unexpected.

"I thought you said you were gonna go easy on me." Zoe said, taking a drink. She was definitely feeling pretty buzzed, being the light weight that she was.

"I said to start I would go easy on you." Mia's words were slightly slurred and her cheeks were a little flushed. So Zoe wasn't the only one who was a lightweight. 

"Never have I ever... been with a man. _Sexually_." Zoe responded, ironically exaggerating the last word. She knew Mia wasn't trying to be rude or vulgar, just genuinely curious, and Zoe couldn't really blame her for wondering. She just wasn't used to socializing and being so open like this.

Mia hesitated before taking a drink. "Alright. I guess I deserved that. So..."

Zoe tried to sound casual. "Yes?"

"What were your past relationships like?"

Zoe bit her lip, considering how to respond. Mia sure did love her twenty questions. Finally she said, "One. There was only relationship."

"Oh," Mia said. "What happened?"

Zoe took another drink before answering. She shrugged. "It ended badly. Real bad." She glanced over at Mia to find her watching Zoe with curious eyes.

"Sorry. You don't have to say anymore."

"It's fine, it's just... I've never talked to anyone about it before." She sighed. "No one really knew except Me, Lucas, and my ex. And now you."

Mia said nothing, waiting for Zoe to speak again.

Zoe suddenly felt a wave of self-consciousness which even the alcohol didn't help alleviate. She looked away from Mia's watchful gaze before speaking.

"So when I was sixteen I started dating my best friend, Ashley. We had been best friends since 8th grade when she was the new girl and we had been partnered up for a science project. At first I didn't even like her. I thought she was a stuck-up snob, but I don't know what happened. We just sort of grew on each other I guess. As we grew closer through 8th grade, and Ashley started to grow more popular at school, I started to develop feelings for her. And I didn't know what to do with myself. I was an awkward fourteen-year-old and this was my first big crush." Zoe chuckled at the memory of it. "The only other crushes I had before her were on teachers. So I guess you were right about the MILF thing." 

Zoe paused and Mia laughed, then waited for her to continue speaking.

"Anyway, it came as a crushing blow when Ashley started dating her first boyfriend at school in ninth grade, and my jealousy was more than obvious. She confronted me about it a few times, but I still didn't fully understand my feelings at the time so I just pretended like it didn't really bother me. That only lasted so long." Zoe sighed. "Eventually I did confess my feelings to her and it's an understatement to say she did not take it well at all. She just stopped speaking to me, and basically pretended like I didn't even exist. She wouldn't even look at me in the halls at school.

"So then tenth grade rolls around, and at the beginning of the semester Ashley and I wind up in a class together again, and just like in eighth grade, wind up as lab partners. At first we didn't say much to each other, our only conversations consisted of whatever we needed to know for our class project. And just like before, we eventually warmed up to each other again and Ashley invited me over to her house one evening after school. We hung out in her room, listenin' to music and watchin' anime. She was popular at school, but secretly she was a bit of a nerd. Anyway, there we were on her bed, watchin' TV, and then out of no where she just leaned over and kissed me. After that she told me that she actually felt the same way about me that I did her, but she was just too chicken to admit it to herself. She had broken up with that guy from before because she didn't even like him at all. I couldn't believe my luck at the time, I was so damn happy. But that was pretty much where my luck ended."

Zoe paused, taking a deep breath. She wasn't used to speaking this much. She looked up, meeting Mia's eyes again, her expression apologetic. 

"We began dating secretly after that. Ashley didn't want anyone to know because she wasn't comfortable being out of the closet just yet, which was fine with me because I didn't really want people to know either. It was nice when we could just be alone together and not have to deal with anyone else's judgement. We dated for two years, until about halfway through senior year, until Lucas ruined everything."

Mia shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Lucas.

"One day Ashley and I were in my room, when I still had a bedroom in the house. The door was closed, and I thought we would be safe. We were kissing. And Lucas... the fucking prick, just had to walk in at that moment without knockin'. He saw us."

Zoe noticed that Mia was gradually leaning forward as she spoke, hanging on to Zoe's every word.

"And of course he threatened to tell her parents. And he threatened to tell Mama and Daddy. So Ashley freaked out and stormed out of the house... And that was the last time She ever spoke to me. I saw on Facebook about a year ago that she's engaged to some guy from our school."

"She really never spoke to you again?" Mia asked in disbelief. 

Zoe shook her head.

"Shit. Zoe, I'm so sorry." Her voice was sympathetic and she placed a gentle hand on Zoe's shoulder.

Zoe took another drink, they were long past following the rules of the game now. She shrugged. "It's in the past."

"Still, heartbreak sucks," Mia said. "Especially coming from family. I can't believe your own brother would do something like that."

"I can," Zoe said firmly.

Mia looked like she didn't quite know what to make of that. "So did he tell your parents?" she asked carefully.

"I don't reckon so. I'd probably know if he did. But he liked to taunt me with it. Threatenin' to tell them, droppin' little hints at the dinner table. Tryna keep me on edge."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he's a prick and a psychopath."

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that." She took Zoe's hand in her own. For a few brief moments Zoe reveled in Mia's soft touch, the warmth of her palm against her own.

Eventually Mia pulled her hand away.

Zoe nodded solemnly, wanting to change the subject to something else. "So now that you know everything about my personal relationships, why don't you tell me about yours?"

Mia blinked and tucked a strand of dark hair behind he ear, a little surprised at the quick shift in conversation. "What's to tell? You already know I'm married."

"How long have you been married?" Zoe asked, genuinely curious. She hadn't really asked much about Ethan, mainly because she wasn't sure she could handle knowing all of the details. If she was honest with herself it would probably just wind up making her a little jealous.

"Four years, no, now five years. If this year even still counts."

"'Course it still counts."

Her eyes looked tired as she spoke. "Maybe Ethan's moved on. He probably assumes I'm dead. So why would that stop him from finding someone else? He deserves to be happy."

"I doubt he would do that. I don't see how anyone would. I wouldn't give up that easy on ya."

"I know you wouldn't." There was an awkward silence as their eyes met, and then Zoe quickly looked away.

"So what about your relationships before Ethan?"

Mia pursed her lips. "Too many bad mistakes."

"That many, huh?" Zoe went to take another drink, but realized that her glass was empty.

Mia nodded and leaned forward, refilling Zoe's glass for her. "I was a bit of a serial dater before Ethan...." She hesitated. "I guess I was just afraid of settling down. Of being with one guy for too long. After that bar-tending job I was just scared of men that I didn't know very well, so I never really let myself get past the point of getting to really know someone. I moved from guy to guy, too scared to let anyone get close to me. Being constantly harassed at my job changed my perspective on dating. I think I told you about the bar-tending job, right?"

"Only in passing," Zoe said. She wasn't quite sure she was ready to hear all of the details. "Constantly being harassed" was enough to spike Zoe's anger.

"It was... rough," Mia said, taking a moment to find the right words. "This was right after I graduated college and couldn't find work. I didn't know what to do with myself so I took a few Mixology classes and was able to get a job as a bartender as some seedy bar in the city." Mia paused, frowning. "It was one of the worst points in my life honestly. It was a pretty rowdy place. And there were lots of drugs involved with the owner of the place and the customers that would come in. And these men were not good people. They would say things to me, disgusting things and try to grab at me or touch me. I was so scared every day that I went into work that I started carrying a taser around with me. I was terrified that something would happen, something a lot worse than what usually did, but luckily it didn't."

Zoe felt herself grow too angry to even speak. She didn't even want to imagine... The thought of Mia having to go through that... She was instantly filled with hatred for those men. She hoped wherever they were they were paying for their actions.

"That's a big reason why I took the job with the Connections," Mia continued. "I was just desperate for _anything_ else."

"I can understand," Zoe said honestly. She probably would have taken the job too if she were in a situation like that.

"I thought anything would be better than that bar."

"You'd rather deal with Eveline and my psychotic family?" Zoe asked seriously.

"Honestly, yeah. It was so degrading working there being treated like I wasn't human. Like I was just... a thing. And yeah this sucks right now, it's really awful, but at least I have you here with me. I don't feel so crazy with you." She smiled warmly. "If I'm gonna be stuck in hell, I'm glad it's with you."

Zoe felt herself unexpectedly blushing. No one had ever said anything so kind to her before. It was kind of a funny thing to say to someone, but kind of not. "I'm glad too."

Mia took a long, shuddering breath before she continued. "So after that bar-tending job that's when I met Ethan, and everything changed. He was a good man. He was patient with me when I would try to push him away. He wasn't like the other guys I dated. And he never treated me like those men from the bar, but... sometimes I think I was just a bit too much for him at times."

Zoe's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Look at my job. I couldn't even tell him about it. He wanted a simple life, and well, I guess I'm not simple enough for him, so I lied to be what he wanted...." Her expression quickly transformed from sorrow to disgust. "God, I'm such an asshole."

"You're not an asshole," Zoe said gently. "I don't condone lyin' to your partner, but I can understand pretendin' to be something you're not for someone else."

Mia sighed. "It wouldn't have worked with Ethan. Even if this never happened. I just don't think it would have lasted. I-I think I've been barking up the wrong tree for quite a while when it comes to relationships."

Zoe didn't know how to respond. She didn't really think she had a place to comment on Mia's relationship with her husband. She had never even met the guy, and it was Mia's business, not hers.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," Zoe finally said. It wasn't a lie. As jealous as she might be of Ethan, she definitely didn't want to see Mia hurting anymore, she had already been through enough of that.

"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault." But they way she said it, the way their eyes met, and the knowing look in Mia's eyes, made Zoe unsure if that's how she really felt, like this could be, in some way, Zoe's fault. She didn't see how that was possible though.

They stared at each other in silence, but it wasn't awkward.

Mia eventually sighed and then chuckled. "Never have I ever wanted to get laid more in my life," she admitted suddenly.

_Fucking hell._

It took a moment for Zoe to gather enough of her remaining mental clarity to process that. When she did she let herself laugh along with Mia. "Cheers," she said, taking another drink.

"Do you want to dance with me?" Mia asked, taking Zoe by surprise yet again.

"What?" Zoe asked, dazzled.

"Will you dance with me?" she asked again, suddenly standing up.

"Uh, I ain't much of a dancer."

"That's okay. Neither am I."

Mia grabbed her hand and pulled Zoe to her feet. The room spun around her and she lost her footing, stumbling awkwardly into Mia.

"Shit," Zoe muttered. "Sorry, that vodka is definitely getting to me."

Mia giggled. "That's okay." She turned to the cassette tape that lay on a storage container in the corner of the room and hit the play button. The room was soon filled with the melodies of early 2000's pop. Some cheesy song about running away to outer space and being in love. Zoe would never admit it out loud, but it was one of her favorites.

"That's better," Mia said, returning to Zoe and grabbing her hand again, pulling her in until they were only inches apart and Mia wrapped her arms around Zoe's neck. Zoe carefully placed her hands on Mia's waist and then they were slowly swaying, completely out of tune with the song, but it was still nice. It didn't feel awkward at all like the school dances from high school and Zoe quickly felt herself relaxing into Mia's embrace. Mia rested her head against Zoe's shoulder.

"Thank you doing this with me," Mia murmured against Zoe's neck, her words slightly slurred. 

"You don't have to thank me."

"I'm so glad I have you," Mia said, tightening her arms around Zoe's neck. "You're so good to me."

Zoe laughed. "And I reckon you've had a little too much to drink."

"Shit. I know." Mia giggled softly against her neck "Maybe more than a little. But it's still true. And, um, there's something I've been wanting to tell you."

"What's that?" Zoe asked, slightly skeptical.

Mia giggled animatedly. "Your accent is so adorable."

Zoe blushed again, grateful that Mia couldn't see her face. "Yeah, definitely too much to drink, hon."

Mia pulled back then until they were face to face, only inches apart, eyes locked onto each other. Zoe could see the twinkle of the Christmas lights reflecting in Mia's dark eyes. She was suddenly hyper aware of just how close they were to each other, their noses almost brushing. An electric current ran through her whole body, willing her to lean forward and close the small space between them. Mia's eyes dropped to Zoe's mouth.

"Kiss me," she whispered suddenly.

Zoe's breath caught in her throat and she blinked in surprise. Surely she hadn't heard Mia correctly. It was her alcohol-infused brain that had made it up.

Mia reached up and cupped Zoe's cheek tenderly, causing Zoe's heart to flutter rapidly in response.

But before Zoe had time to react a loud crash from right outside the trailer caused both women to jump and quickly let go of one another. Mia promptly turned off the cassette player and the room filled with silence. Then, after a few seconds ticked by, another crash from outside.

"What the hell," Zoe muttered, instinctively racing over to the table for her shotgun, adrenaline pulsing through her veins.

She threw open the trailer door, bracing herself for the worst. A dark figure stood near a pile of old trash bags a few feet away from the trailer. Mia came up behind Zoe and shined a flash light over the dark figure, revealing, not one of the molded, but what appeared to be a teenage girl, with wide and terrified eyes. The girl's eyes eyes fell to the gun Zoe was holding and she immediately held up her hands in surrender. 

"Don't shoot!" the girl cried.

" _Jesus_ , you scared the shit out of me!" Zoe muttered, her heart hammering against her chest. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded. She was still slightly lightheaded and breathless from the moment she had just shared with Mia. She was still confused as to what exactly just happened. 

"Please, I'm-I'm just trying to find my friends." Panic was clear in her voice. "We got lost on our way to the city. We're not from around here." 

That much was obvious, she didn't have the local accent.

"What's your name?" Mia asked gently.

"Leila," the girl answered in a small voice. "Is this your house here?"

"Yeah," Zoe said. She lowered her gun. 

The girl seemed to relax a little. "Are you two sisters?"

"No!" Zoe and Mia answered at the same time.

"What the hell are you doing out here making so much noise, 

it could attract..." Zoe trailed off, exchanging a look with Mia. She didn't know how much she should reveal to this girl, who was a complete stranger.

"She could be infected," Mia said in a low voice, leaning over to Zoe. "And if she's infected and tries to leave the property..."

"Shit," Zoe muttered. "What're we gonna do with her?"

"Hello? I'm standing right here!" the girl announced, waving her arms. "What the hell's that mean? You're not gonna do anything with me! I'm finding my friends and then we're getting the hell out of here!"

"Listen, I don't mean to be harsh," Zoe started. "But you really shouldn't've come here, kid. It's not safe for you or for anyone."

"Then why are you two here?"

Zoe and Mia exchanged another silent look.

"We can't leave," Mia explained in a calm voice. "You could say it's a bit of a quarantine situation."

Her eyes widened in realization. "Fuck this, I'm calling the police," Leila said before she took off into the night.

"What do we do?" Mia asked Zoe.

Zoe sighed. Someone was going to have to look out for this girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think. I appreciate every comment. :)


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